UK Covid symptoms list expanded with nine more signs of illness
The official list of Covid-19 symptoms on the NHS has been extended to cover nine new symptoms, including sore throat, fatigue and headache.
They join the three symptoms of a fever, a new and persistent cough, and a loss or change in taste or smell, according to nhs.uk.
Extending the list may help reduce infections by helping people detect whether they may have Covid; however, it coincides with the end of the offer of free universal Covid-19 tests to help people confirm whether they have the virus.
Covid infection levels have hit a record high in the UK, with almost 5 million people estimated to be infected. The new signs are:
Shortness of breath.
Feeling tired or exhausted. An aching body.
A headache.
A sore throat.
A blocked or runny nose.
Loss of appetite.
Diarrhoea.
Feeling sick or being sick.
A note on the website states: “The symptoms are very similar to symptoms of other illnesses, such as colds and flu.”
The UK has had just three symptoms on the list since the emergence of the virus two years ago, despite other organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US having longer symptom lists for some time.
It is understood the government’s chief medical officer would have needed to sign off on the expanded list of symptoms.
In England, some people still qualify for free tests in certain circumstances, but most people are now expected to pay or go without. Under the previous testing regime people only qualified for PCR tests if they had one of the three symptoms or if they had been invited to take a test.
Prof Tim Spector, the lead scientist of the Zoe Covid-19 symptom tracker app, praised the decision in a tweet in which he said the NHS had “finally changed” the symptom list after two years of lobbying. “Pity they have the order wrong, but it’s a start and could help reduce infections,” he said.
In March he suggested that the shorter symptom list, along with the decision to drop isolation advice and withdraw free testing, could have driven up transmission rates.
Spector said last month: “Many people are no longer isolating when they have symptoms, either because they feel they don’t have to any more or because they or their employers still don’t recognise symptoms like runny nose or sore throat as Covid.”
On Friday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that 4.9 million people in the UK were estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week ending 26 March, up from 4.3 million in the previous week. The ONS said an estimated one in every 13 people in England had the virus during that week.