It’s over a month since the UK began to feel the effects of coronavirus, and since then, the symptoms we’ve been told to look out for are now well known.
A high temperature and a new, continuous cough are the two most common symptoms that you may experience according to the NHS website.
What is still not 100 per cent clear is what happens when you get tested to see if you have the disease, which could be down to the Government’s much-criticised slow response when it comes to testing.
The ECHO was contacted by a health worker who had already tested positive for coronavirus.
He told us how – from when symptoms first appear to receiving the test results – the process works.
James, not his real name, wanted to remain anonymous due to his profession working in the healthcare sector.
James said: "I first noticed some unusual symptoms last Monday [April 6].
"I had muscle aches but I also had really sore eyes. I was outside and the sunlight was killing my eyes.
"My family thought I was being dramatic but it was painful like having an oversensitivity to sunlight.
"By Thursday I was vomiting with a fever and had a complete loss of appetite, loss of smell and I felt completely drained."
James phoned his employer to tell them that he was displaying symptoms and the day after, he received a phone call asking him to get tested for the virus.
"I got a phone call offering me a test on Sunday which I was grateful for," he said.
"They asked me if I could drive and when I said yes, I was told to attend The Countess Hospital in Chester where they do the test at a drive-thru.
"They swab test you in the nose and the throat through the car window and then they say they will call you with the results.
"They phoned me on Wednesday to tell me that I had tested positive for coronavirus."
James told us that the first symptoms of the virus that he experienced were not the classic high temperature and dry cough.
"I had symptoms that no one seems to know about," he said
"One was my skin burning up with small lumps on my fingers like I'd had acid thrown on them."
Although a rash or skin conditions such as lesions have been reported by people suffering from the disease, they are not currently on the official list of symptoms provided by the NHS.
James added: "Yesterday I phoned the NHS 111 helpline to ask them if I could go outside. I told them I had tested positive but I feel much better but I have lost my sense of smell, so could I still be carrying the virus?
"All they would say was if you’re not coughing and you haven’t got a fever then you can go out, so I told them that I never had a cough in the first place."
As a precaution, James has decided to keep isolating himself from his family and stay indoors for a while longer.
According to the official advice by Public Health England, If you have been symptomatic, then you may end your self-isolation after seven days with the seven days starting from "the day when you first became ill".
If you no longer have a high temperature, the official advice says you can return to your normal routine.
The advice also states: "The cough may persist for several weeks in some people, despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection having cleared."
Adding: "A persistent cough alone does not mean someone must continue to self-isolate for more than 7 days."
For detailed advice on how long you or your family have to isolate after displaying symptoms of coronavirus, please check the NHS website.
