COVID-19 symptoms

What to do if you have symptoms

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 you should stay at home and take a Lateral Flow Test (LFT). 

Order LFT tests

List of symptoms

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• sore throat
  
• runny or blocked nose
• sneezing
• a new, continuous or persistent cough (this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours)
• a headache
• a high temperature or shivering (chills) (a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back. You do not need to measure your temperature)
• feeling tired or exhausted
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
• sudden confusion (delirium)
• a skin rash
• changes in the mouth or tongue
• red and sore fingers or toes
• shortness of breath
• chest pains
• muscle pains
• diarrhoea
• loss of appetite
• abdominal pains
  

If you test positive

If your LFT is positive, you should stay at home for at least 5 days and avoid contact with vulnerable people for 10 days.

Positive COVID-19 cases

If you test negative

If you have a negative LFT, you can carry on with your normal routine but should not visit vulnerable people or settings while symptomatic. If you still have symptoms, you can do another LFT 24 hours later.

It is a good idea to stay at home if you are feeling unwell, to stop the spread of all illnesses.

If you develop severe COVID-19 symptoms or are worried about your condition, contact your GP or call 999 in an emergency.

Ongoing symptoms or long COVID

Most people infected with COVID-19 will experience a mild to moderate viral illness with respiratory symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment. However, for some people, COVID-19 can cause symptoms that last more than 4 weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID.

Long COVID