Analysis: Change to Covid symptoms and testing 'confusing'

A sore throat, fatigue, headache and a runny nose were common symptoms found among those testing positive for Covid

There was little fanfare when the UK Health Security Agency dropped its email expanding its official list of Covid symptoms to include another nine.

At present this move applies only to England.

The additional symptoms come as no surprise as it's what medics and, in fact, the public have known from the start of the pandemic.

A sore throat, fatigue, headache and a runny nose were common symptoms found among those testing positive for Covid.

So what was behind the timing?

Various theories are being chewed over.

Some suspect the timing of the announcement is linked with the scrapping of free Covid testing in England.

One source told me that it is no coincidence that after free testing was stopped last Friday - by Monday officials in England felt compelled to widen the symptom net in order to cover all eventualities.

Without testing, the change is designed to encourage more people to be a lot more cautious and to limit contact with others.

Without the safety blanket of testing, self policing is being relied upon instead.

Hence the advice from NHS England that people should "stay at home and avoid others only if you have Covid symptoms and a high temperature, or if your symptoms are so bad that you are not well enough to work".

• Nine new Covid symptoms added to official list

• New Covid symptoms 'may be similar to cold or flu'

Without testing being freely available it is about reducing the risk as much as possible.

It is worth noting that while Covid symptoms haven't changed in the past month, the testing regime has.

When Northern Ireland follows suit on April 23rd we can also expect updated advice.

The pandemic has turned a major corner as we are no longer expected to hide away but instead live alongside the virus.

Rarely is change not influenced by money.

Governments across the UK could not sustain the billions of pounds required each month to pay for testing.

However, it does remain confusing.

Testing has been scrapped at a time when Covid cases are soaring and have reached an all-time high across the UK.

Again the public is being asked to step up.