
Trying to self-diagnose is a sure fire way to send Covid case rates soaring again. Lateral flow testing can help with screening, but if someone has symptoms, they should go for a PCR swab test.”Īnd Alan McNally, a professor of microbial evolutionary genomics at the same institution, who was infectious disease lead at the Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab - the UK government’s first flagship Covid testing facility - adds: “If you have any symptoms of respiratory infection you should stay at home to prevent transmission and get a test done. They present so similarly that only PCR testing can differentiate between the two. Covid: How well do face masks protect us against the virus?Īlex Richter, a professor of clinical immunology at the University of Birmingham, who is part of a team that has developed a test to detect Covid antibodies in people with mild symptoms, says: “It’s impossible to tell the difference between a cold and Covid-19 clinically.
#COVID TIMELINE OF SYMPTOMS HOW TO#



Therefore, if you have these symptoms, I’d encourage you to use lateral flow tests (LFT) for a couple of days. Professor Irene Petersen, a professor of epidemiology and health informatics at University College London, adds: “A runny nose and headache are symptoms of many infections, but may also be the first symptoms – and only symptoms – of Covid.
