A runny nose should be considered a Covid symptom, family doctors have said.
A group of more than 140 doctors, writing in the British Medical Journal, urge the chief physician to include symptoms such as a runny or stuffy nose, muscle pain and headache as criteria for a test.
They say that at this point, they need to encourage patients who are found to have the coronavirus to lie about their symptoms in order to access a test, causing far too many cases to be missed.
Dr. Alex Sohal, a general practitioner in East London and lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, said she regularly assesses patients with mild symptoms – for example, a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, hoarseness, muscle pain, fatigue, and headaches – who turn out to be Covid be positive.
She writes, “These patients have often not even thought they might have Covid-19 and have not isolated themselves in the crucial early days when they were most contagious.”
Some patients are now being encouraged to be dishonest to access Covid-19 tests, she said in the letter that was supported by 140 primary care physicians.
“The national publicity campaign focuses on coughing, high temperature and loss of smell or taste as symptoms we need to be aware of – only patients with these symptoms can access a Covid-19 test online through the NHS test booking site. General practitioners should advise patients to be dishonest to get a Covid-19 test. “