In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 it is important to know and recognise the symptoms. They are:

 High temperature

 Cough

 Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties

 Loss of smell, of taste or distortion of taste

Infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 can cause illness, ranging from mild to severe, and, in some cases, can be fatal. It can take up to 14 days for symptoms to show. They can be similar to symptoms of cold and flu. Common symptoms of coronavirus include:

 a fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above).

 a new cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry.

 shortness of breath or breathing difficulties.

 loss or change in your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

If you have any common symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus), self-isolate (stay in your room) and phone your family doctor straight away to see if you need a COVID-19 test.

Other people in your household will need to restrict their movements (stay at home).

Getting an early diagnosis means, you can get the help you need and take steps to avoid spreading the virus, if you have it. For the complete list of symptoms, please refer to the HSE Website.