Index test(s)

Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms are used in the initial diagnosis of suspected COVID‐19 disease, and to identify people with COVID‐19 pneumonia. Symptoms are what is experienced by patients, for example cough or nausea. Signs are what can be evaluated by clinical assessment, for example lung auscultation findings, blood pressure or heart rate.
Key symptoms that have been associated with mild to moderate COVID‐19 disease include: troublesome dry cough (for example, coughing more than usual over a one‐hour period, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours), fever greater than 37.8 °C, diarrhoea, headache, breathlessness on light exertion, muscle pain, fatigue, and loss of sense of smell and taste. Red flags indicating possible pneumonia include breathlessness at rest, loss of appetite, confusion, pain or pressure in the chest, and temperature above 38 °C.