What to do if you have Covid: Symptoms, tests and can you go to work or school?
- Published
The latest Covid booster campaign is under way across the UK and those who qualify are urged to get jabbed as soon as possible.
No Covid restrictions are in place across the UK, but guidance recommends people who catch the virus "should try to stay at home".
What are the Covid symptoms?
Many of the symptoms are similar to those for colds and flu, external and include:
high temperature, fever or chills
continuous cough
loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
shortness of breath
feeling tired or exhausted
aching body
headache
sore throat
blocked or runny nose
loss of appetite
diarrhoea
feeling sick or being sick
Most people feel better within a few days or weeks - but for some, it can be more serious.
Those concerned their or their child's symptoms are worsening should request an urgent GP appointment or help from NHS 111, external.
What about long Covid?
Between 2% and 20% of people catching Covid go on to have longer-term symptoms, "long Covid", research suggests.
In March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated 1.9 million people in the UK (2.9% of the population), external still had symptoms more than four weeks after their initial infection.
There is no simple test for long Covid, and people report a variety of symptoms, external, including:
extreme tiredness
shortness of breath
muscle aches
memory and concentration problems ("brain fog")
Some people have developed long Covid after an initial mild infection.
Where can you get a Covid test?
Routine Covid testing is not recommended, and most people can't get free tests via the NHS.
You may still be able to get free NHS tests, external if you:
have a health condition that makes you eligible for treatment if you test positive
work in healthcare or a hospice
You can buy a test for about £2 from High Street and online chemists, but cannot report these test results to the NHS.
Do you have to isolate after testing positive?
People are largely advised to treat Covid like any other respiratory disease. You no longer have to self-isolate after testing positive.
However, the government recommends trying to stay home for five days - or three for under-18s, as younger people tend to be infectious for a shorter period.
People at higher risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid who have been told they are entitled to treatments if they catch it, external must report their test result so the NHS can contact them about their options.
How long are you contagious?
Some people are infectious for about five days but others may be contagious for up to 10.
Those who have a high temperature or still feel unwell after five days are advised to stay home if they can until they:
feel well enough for your normal activities
no longer have a high temperature
Can you go to work with Covid?
You don't have to tell your employer you have Covid.
However, you are asked to avoid contact with others for five days, which means you should work from home if you can, especially if you have a high temperature.
The specific schemes offering financial support to those isolating during the pandemic have ended.
But you may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay, external - worth £109.40 a week.
Can children go to school with Covid?
Under-18s who test positive for Covid are advised to stay at home for three days.
NHS guidance says if a child has mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or mild cough, external - and they feel well enough - they can go to school or childcare.
Who can have a Covid jab?
In the UK, you can only have the Covid vaccine via the NHS, external if you meet certain criteria.
For most people, vaccinations are now available only as part of a seasonal rollout. You cannot currently buy them privately.
The 2023 autumn booster campaign is targeting:
residents in care homes for older adults
over-65s
people aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
front-line health and social-care workers
12-64-year-olds who are household contacts of people with weakened immune systems
16-64-year-olds who are carers or work in care homes for older adults
pregnant women
The NHS has been contacting eligible people.
You can no longer book a Covid jab online or by calling NHS 119, external - but you may be able to with a local NHS vaccination service or you can find a walk-in site, external.
This round of seasonal Covid jabs will be available until 31 January.
Moderna told BBC News it hoped its Covid jab would be on sale in the UK from 2024.
Pfizer is also exploring options for private provision.
How long after having Covid can you have a jab?
If you have Covid, or think you might, NHS advice is to delay vaccination until you feel better, external.
It also recommends waiting if you have a high temperature or feel otherwise unwell with any illness.
But there is no need to wait if you have recently recovered from Covid and feel well.
The vaccines do not infect people with Covid and cannot cause positive test results.