NHS adds nine more Covid symptoms to official list

The NHS has added nine new official Covid symptoms to the list of signs that could indicate you have the virus. The list of official symptoms - which has gone from three to 12 - is believed to have been extended on Friday afternoon, two years into the pandemic.

Before, only three official Covid symptoms were listed - a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to the sense of smell or taste. These were all introduced earlier on in the pandemic and have been kept ever since, reports The Mirror.

However, now, the list has been updated to reflect new variants of the virus and the latest understanding of the illness. The advice comes as anyone who suspects they have Covid is asked to stay home for five days to avoid spreading it - though that is not enforced by law.

The new list of symptoms includes the three previously listed, and adds:

Shortness of breath
Feeling tired or exhausted
An aching body
A headache
A sore throat
A blocked or runny nose
Loss of appetite
Diarrhoea
Feeling sick or being sick