When it comes to the common cold, symptoms will usually clear up within two weeks, but hayfever symptoms will persist for longer. Unlike Covid-19, hayfever does not cause a high temperature and most people with hayfever do not feel generally unwell.

The main symptoms of Covid-19 include a high temperature, a loss or change to sense of smell or taste and/or a new and continuous cough, characterised by coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours. If someone has any one of these main symptoms, they should get a Covid-19 test as soon as possible, stay home and have no visitors until they get their results – only leaving home to get a test. This also applies to anyone else living in the same house or who has been in close contact with the person since their symptoms started, or during the 48 hours before they started.