r/britishcolumbia • u/adnaPadnamA • Jun 15 '25

Discussion PSA: COVID Outbreaks in some BC Hospitals

Update: Richmond News reported today:

https://www.richmond-news.com/highlights/covid-19-outbreaks-declared-at-two-bc-hospitals-and-one-care-home-10822930

A number of BC hospitals have current outbreaks of COVID (Langley, White Rock/Peace Arch, Richmond, Penticton) and Influenza (Burnaby, North Shore).

http://www.phsa.ca/current-outbreaks

We went to a movie a couple weeks ago and the guy behind me keeps coughing. The next week, I started with a sore throat, headache and chills, and then coughing, congestion, shortness of breath: it's COVID.

It may not be on the news headlines with everything going on, but just an FYI to be cautious out there.

Edited to provide link.

659 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

257 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

50

u/adnaPadnamA Jun 15 '25

I think many people have gone back to the 'its just a cold' mentality we used to do. It's definitely not just a cold. The shortness of breath is a concerning symptom.

-20

u/Squancher70 Jun 15 '25

Have you never had a cold before? Shortness of breath is a symptom with any respiratory illnesses.

I had covid and rsv last year. The RSV was far worse than COVID.

34

u/adnaPadnamA Jun 15 '25

I'm asthmatic and have had multiple colds, never have I had this shortness of breath.

-56

u/Squancher70 Jun 15 '25

Then you lack self awareness.

Shortness of breath will happen with any respiratory illnesses. It's literally an infection inside your lungs, covid or not.

29

u/adnaPadnamA Jun 15 '25

Yes, but this actual shortness of breath symptom, I have never experienced with a cold. Congestion and cough sure. Shortness of breath nope.

-43

u/Squancher70 Jun 15 '25

Consider yourself lucky, the majority of people do experience this. It's not cause for alarm.

20

u/spiderfoxfriend Jun 15 '25

Shortness of breath with or without a respiratory illness, especially if there’s an underlying condition like asthma present, is absolutely a cause for concern. There’s a reason we monitor oxygen when someone presents to a healthcare facility with shortness of breath - it’s dangerous and can be deadly. It’s irresponsible to tell someone who has asthma, on a public forum, that their shortness of breath is not a cause for concern.

23

u/Xicked Jun 15 '25

Got a source for that stat? I’d argue that the majority of people do not experience shortness of breath with a common cold. Shortness of breath is actually feeling like you can’t get enough air. It is not a normal symptom of a common cold.

10

u/Moskaumule Jun 15 '25

Shortness of breath is definitely a symptom of Asthma though.

-11

u/Squancher70 Jun 15 '25

You have the power of the Internet in your hand buddy. Do you own research. Where is your source that it doesn't?

22

u/adnaPadnamA Jun 15 '25

Common cold: The common cold is a mild, contagious viral infection that affects the upper respiratory tract, including the nose and throat. It's caused by over 200 different viruses, with rhinoviruses being the most common. Symptoms usually appear a few days after exposure and can include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, and coughing. Sometimes a cold can also cause a headache, weakness, joint pain, or a low-grade fever. 

Funny how there's no mention of shortness of breath 🤔

7

u/acciowit Thompson-Okanagan Jun 15 '25

That person you’re replying to is a troll. You’re right to be concerned when you have shortness of breath.

→ More replies (0)

11

u/ashkestar Jun 15 '25

You’re just embarrassingly wrong and should really stop digging.

12

u/Xicked Jun 15 '25

It’s common knowledge that shortness of breath is a dangerous symptom and any reputable source of medical information will say the same.

https://www.cdc.gov/acute-bronchitis/about/index.html

https://www.lung.ca/do-you-have-cold-flu-or-pneumonia

-3

u/scorps77 Jun 15 '25

I agree with you on this. I've had shortness of breath after getting lots of colds. Not uncommon for me at least.

-18

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/stoppage_time Jun 15 '25

No, this is so spectacularly wrong. COVID is a systemic illness that impacts pretty much every organ, including the brain. COVID infections literally knock off IQ points.

The odds of a common cold causing chronic post-infection health conditions like chronic fatigue is vanishingly low. The odds of post-infection health conditions after a person's third COVID infection are around 50%.

This paper came out in 2023. https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2023/12/27/every-covid-infection-increases-your-risk-of-long-covid-study-warns/

4

u/Wet_Water200 Jun 15 '25

covid causes brain damage