Residents in Cheshire West and Chester are being advised to consider booking a COVID-19 test if they have symptoms from a broader list than the ‘classic’ three.
- Anyone with one of the three main symptoms – a new and continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss or change in your sense of smell or taste – should self-isolate immediately and book a test at: nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling: 119.
- Anyone with the following symptoms should consider also booking a test: shortness of breath, muscle or body aches, fatigue, sore throat, headache, nasal congestion or runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. Book a test at: nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling: 119. When booking choose the option that the local council has asked you to get a test. If you only have these symptoms, you do not need to self-isolate unless you test positive for COVID-19.
- If you do not have symptoms but do have to go out of your home to work or look after someone, you can access rapid and regular COVID-19 testing at an asymptomatic testing site.
Cheshire West and Chester Council is taking this extended approach to testing following acknowledgement by leading international clinical authorities that many people who have a the infection display symptoms which are different from fever, new continuous cough, and loss or change in sense of taste or smell.
These include: shortness of breath, muscle or body aches, fatigue, sore throat, headache, nasal congestion or runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. However, it is important to remember that these are very common symptoms, and most people who have these symptoms will not have COVID-19.