Public Health officials in Liverpool are urging residents to get a Covid-19 test if they are showing any of the wider symptoms of the virus.
The three main symptoms of Covid are a high temperature, a persistent cough or a loss of smell or taste.
But there is also a wider set of symptoms which people have also been testing positive with. They include:
- Diarrhoea
- A persistent headache
- Fever and chills
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
The new advice follows the recent identification of a cluster of cases of the E484K mutation of the virus in Liverpool.
Matthew Ashton, Director of Public Health, said: “We need to do everything we can to continue the success we have had in recent weeks in stopping the spread of the virus and getting the infection rate down.
“We are concerned that people may not think they have Covid because they are not displaying the classic symptoms and, as a result, could be unwittingly spreading the infection to others.
“The virus is changing all the time, so it is essential that we redouble our efforts so we stay one step ahead of it, and we know some people have been testing positive with other symptoms.
“Testing has a key role to play in helping us keep the virus under control until we have a large proportion of the population immunised, in addition to the all existing measures such as social distancing, washing our hands regularly and wearing face coverings in confined spaces.”
Councillor Paul Brant, Cabinet member for public health, said: “Our NHS remains under severe strain with hundreds of people being treated in hospital for Covid.
“Despite a relatively smooth vaccine rollout so far, we are not out of the woods yet, so it is vital that we all continue to take precautions and get tested when necessary.
“Unfortunately these measures are likely to remain in place for some time to come.”
Tests for people with symptoms can be booked at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
When booking, people should click the option to say they don’t have the classic symptoms but were asked to get a test by their council or health protection team.
People working in frontline jobs without symptoms can use the city’s symptom-free test centres – a full list can be found at https:///liverpool.gov.uk/smarttesting
