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

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, it’s a good idea to 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.

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 until you have been symptom free for 48 hours.

Positive COVID-19 cases

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