COVID-19 testing
On Monday (18 May) the Health Secretary revealed that anyone over the age of 5 years with symptoms of COVID-19 will now be able to apply for a Swab test, also known as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests. This would involve using a long cotton bud and taking a swab of the back of the throat and inside of the nose. The tests can be applied for here:
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.
Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms. To check if you have symptoms for Coronavirus, click here.
The full list of symptoms as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) include:
Most common symptoms:
- fever
- dry cough
- tiredness.
Less common symptoms:
- aches and pains
- sore throat
- diarrhoea
- conjunctivitis
- headache
- loss of taste or smell
- a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes.
Serious symptoms:
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- chest pain or pressure
- loss of speech or movement.
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