Experts explain why the common cold feels like it is getting worse this winter

dailyrecord.co.uk:

We expect to get colds over the winter, but this season it seems many people are really struggling to get rid of their sniffles.Is there a particularly long-lasting virus circulating, are we just catching back-to-back bugs, or is this inability to shake-off winter ailments simply a result of reduced immunity after the pandemic?Ron Eccles, an emeritus biosciences professor at Cardiff University, and the former director of its Common Cold Centre, says winter is the most likely time of year for catching colds – especially as children have returned to school and nursery and viruses are spreading easily among them, and then their parents.“There are also more colds in winter, and the wet weather has kept us indoors and the damp has helped viruses survive better,” he adds. “There are complaints about never-ending colds, and this may be due to multiple infections, or us being more rundown and stressed at this time of year after festive excess.”He points out that Covid is still around too, and adds: “If you’re suffering from a stinking cold, it’s better to keep away from anyone who could be immune-compromised, as the other cold viruses can also cause serious disease in the vulnerable elderly.”Jeremy Brown, a professor of respiratory infection at University College London (UCL), says there’s no clear data on whether any long-lasting viruses are currently circulating, as very little information is collected about the duration of infectious symptoms.He notes some people’s symptoms could be caused by Covid: “Covid is pretty indistinguishable from other respiratory viruses.

It can make people feel pretty rotten – more so than standard cold viruses, but perhaps no more so than flu.”The common symptoms of covid haven’t changed