The ‘super cold’ that Australians are experiencing may be caused by the immune system fighting off new viruses post-lockdown.
As Australians relax COVID-19 safety measures, a “super cold” is sweeping the nation.
Since COVID-19 can manifest much in the same way as a cold, the new illness is causing confusion and raising fears of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Experts believe the phenomenon is the result of first encounters between new viruses and immune systems re-entering the world after isolation.
The symptoms are disturbingly familiar, and it has Australians on edge. But it is not COVID-19. It is just a common cold virus, or maybe a string of them racing through the local population. Some are thinking of it, or them, as Australia’s “super cold.”
Experts suspect the super cold’s stunning spread is due to the collision of immune systems that have been in a nearly 2-year period of isolation overwhelmed by a host of new germs all at once.
Associate Professor Dr. Ian Mackay of the University of Queensland, Australia told Medical News Today:
“Some of what we may feel are ‘super colds’ might just be normal colds that we’ve simply forgotten to recognize because Australia had successfully kept them at bay during the pandemic.”
A similar super cold effect was reported in November of last year in the U.K. as residents first ventured out from lockdown.
“Without some studies,” noted Dr. Mackay, “I’m presuming these are just everyday acute respiratory tract illnesses, caused by a range of different endemic viruses. And to be clear, when I say ‘endemic,’ I mean viruses that are always with us in some numbers; a baseline of infections that tick along.”
Similar “super cold” phenomena are likely to occur across the globe as COVID-19 safety measures are relaxed.Definitely sick, but with what?
The symptoms people are experiencing are classic signs of an upper respiratory tract infection: runny nose, sore throat, and sticky eyes.
A dry cough may also occur, and recovery is usually within 5 to 7 days, Sydney-based Dr. Charlotte Hespe, MD, told the Daily Mail.
Some people are also experiencing flu symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches.
These symptoms sound a lot like those of COVID-19, although COVID-19 has a few symptoms that do not accompany a cold or a flu, such as a loss of taste or smell.
