The most common symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus) are:
- fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above) – including having chills
- dry cough
- fatigue (tiredness)
COVID-19 symptoms can be like symptoms of cold, flu or hay fever.
Less common symptoms
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this could mean they’re completely gone or just different to normal
- nasal congestion (runny or blocked nose)
- conjunctivitis (also known as red eye or pink eye)
- sore throat
- headache
- muscle or joint pain (aches and pains)
- different types of skin rash
- nausea or vomiting
- diarrhoea
- chills or dizziness
Severe symptoms
- shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
- loss of appetite
- confusion
- pain or pressure in the chest
- fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above)
You may not have all of the symptoms or your symptoms may be mild.
You can still get infected if you are fully vaccinated. But your symptoms may be mild.
It can take up to 14 days after you are infected for symptoms to show. You can spread COVID-19 during this time.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, even mild ones, you should:
- self-isolate (stay in your room) until 48 hours after your symptoms are mostly or fully gone
- wear a face mask if you have to be around other people
Do these even if you completed your first round of COVID-19 vaccination, had a booster, or had COVID-19 in the past.
Certain groups of people with symptoms should get a COVID-19 test.
Symptoms may present differently in different age groups and with different variants of the virus. Some symptoms may also be confused with common cold, hay-fever or flu. If you have any new symptoms, even if mild, self-isolate and arrange a COVID-19 test by either phoning your GP, booking online or going to a test centre.
This link can be used to book a test: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/testing/get-tested/
Self-isolation – (stay in your room). Self-isolation means staying indoors in a room on your own if possible, and completely avoiding contact with other people, including others in your household. Self-isolation is for people who have had a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test that shows they have COVID-19 and also for people who are thought to have COVID-19, but are still waiting for a test or test result.
Restricting movement – (stay at home). Restricting movements means staying at home and avoiding contact with other people and social situations as much as possible. Restricting movement is for people who do not have signs of COVID-19 but who may be at higher risk of getting COVID-19 because they were exposed to a particular risk.
These guidelines do not include information for those who have recently returned from a designated state. Please see gov.ie for information for those returning from designated states.
If you are a health care worker, please refer to occupational health guidelines