A new study carried out in the UK has found that the time it takes for Covid symptoms to appear is a lot shorter than even the World Health Organisation initially thought.
The Human Challenge Programme recruited a number of healthy young people who were willing to be deliberately infected with the virus for the study.
The 36 volunteers aged 18 to 29 - who had never had Covid - were deliberately infected with a small dose of the illness.
They were all given nasal drops containing Covid and were held at a clinical facility for monitoring.
Just over half became infected, and after recovery, will be revisiting the clinic in 12 months to have their general health checked up on.
The main thing scientists discovered from monitoring these patients was that the symptoms of Covid began to develop as early as two days in most cases.
The Government-backed study also found that the peak of infection occurs around day five of the illness - as opposed to between days eight to 14 as once thought.
Up until the results of this research were published, many - including the WHO - thought symptoms developed at the earliest point on day five or six.
However, the new research suggests mild symptoms are apparent after just a few days - even if it takes until day five to become more noticeable.
According to the HSE, these are the most common symptoms to look out for even as society reopens:
- fever
- cough
- tiredness
- loss of taste or smell
Less common symptoms include:
- sore throat
- headache
- aches and pains
- diarrhoea
- a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes
- red or irritated eyes
Serious symptoms to be wary of are:
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- loss of speech or mobility, or confusion
- chest pain
