Researchers in the UK have asked the government to add new symptoms to a list that qualifies people to receive an automatic COVID-19 test, reports BBC News.
What is happening?
Researchers are asking the British government to add fatigue, headaches, sore throats and diarrhea to the list of symptoms that trigger a COVID-19 test, reports BBC News.
- Currently, anyone who has had a cough, fever or loss of smell or taste can get tested, according to BBC News.
- King’s College London and the Zoe Symptom Study said that adding these symptoms causes about 40% more cases. But it would also mean that those without COVID-19 would be receiving tests.
Why does it matter:
Professor Tim Spector, the study’s chief scientist, said more testing is needed with new variants, according to The Daily Gazette, a UK news publication
- “By inviting all users who register any new symptoms to take a test, we confirm that there are many other symptoms of COVID-19.
- “This is especially important with new variants that can cause different symptoms.
- “For us, the message to the public is clear: if you’ve been feeling bad recently, it could be COVID and you should try it out.”
UK symptoms and the variant
UK research – created by the University of Oxford, University of Manchester, Public Health England and Wellcome Trust – found that there are some slight differences in symptoms for those who had the UK’s COVID-19 variant compared to the normal mutation, as I wrote for Deseret News.
- Patients with the UK variant were less likely to report loss of taste and smell compared to those with the normal variant, according to the research.
- However, frequent coughing, sore throat, fatigue and myalgia have been reported more frequently for those with the UK variant.