A runny nose should be considered a Covid symptom, GPs said.
A group of more than 140 doctors, writing in the British Medical Journal, are appealing to the medical chief to list symptoms such as a runny or blocked nose, muscle aches and headaches as criteria for a test.
They say at the moment, they need to encourage patients who appear to have coronavirus to lie about their symptoms to gain access to a test, which means too many cases are missed.
Dr Alex Sohal, a GP in East London and lecturer at Queen Mary University in London, said she regularly reviewed patients with mild symptoms – such as a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, hoarseness, muscle aches, fatigue and headaches. – which then turns out to be Covid-positive.
She writes: ‘These patients often did not even consider themselves allowed to have Covid-19 and did not isolate themselves in the important early days when they were most contagious.’
Some patients are now being encouraged to be dishonest in accessing Covid-19 tests, she said in the letter backed by 140 GPs.
“The national publicity campaign focuses on cough, high temperature and loss of smell or taste as symptoms to note – only patients with these symptoms have access to a Covid-19 test online via the NHS discussion site. GPs should advise patients to be dishonest about doing a Covid-19 test. ”