Symptoms of COVID-19

Last updated: 30 September 2020 at 3.15pm

If you have any common symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus), you should self-isolate and phone your GP straight away to get a COVID-19 test.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include:

It can take up to 14 days for symptoms to show. They can be similar to symptoms of cold and flu.

Getting an early diagnosis from your GP means you can get the help you need and take steps to avoid spreading the virus, if you have it.

There are different levels of restrictions in place in some counties. Visit gov.ie for more information about levels of restrictions across Ireland.

Compare symptoms of COVID-19, flu and cold

Symptoms	COVID-19 Symptoms range from mild to severe	Flu Abrupt onset of symptoms	Cold Gradual onset of symptoms
Fever or chills	Common	Common	Rare
Cough	Common (usually dry)	Common (usually dry)	Mild
Shortness of breath	Common	No	No
Lost or changed sense of smell or taste	Common	Rare	Rare
Fatigue	Common	Common	Sometimes
Aches and pains	Common	Common	Common
Sore throat	Sometimes	Sometimes	Common
Headaches	Sometimes	Common	Rare
Runny or stuffy nose	Sometimes	Sometimes	Common
Feeling sick or vomiting	Rare	Sometimes	No
Diarrhoea	Rare	Sometimes in children	No
Sneezing	No	No	Common

Signs and symptoms of hay fever can also be similar to symptoms of COVID-19. But hay fever does not cause a high temperature. Hay fever symptoms also get worse when you are exposed to certain triggers, such as pollen, weeds or grass. Read more about hay fever.

When a fever could be a sign of meningitis

Fever is also a symptom of meningitis.

Contact your GP immediately if you have a fever and:

• severe headache
• stiff neck
• sensitivity to light

Related topics

How COVID-19 is spread

Close contact and casual contact

Protect yourself and others from COVID-19

How to clean your hands

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