COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.
Symptoms of coronavirus
It can take up to 14 days for symptoms of coronavirus to appear.
The main symptoms to look out for are:
- a cough - this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
- shortness of breath
- breathing difficulties
- fever (high temperature) or chills
Protect yourself and others from coronavirus
Coronavirus is spread in sneeze or cough droplets. To infect you, it has to get from an infected person's nose or mouth into your eyes, nose or mouth.
It’s important to wash your hands properly and often.
Self-isolation and self-quarantine
To help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) you may need to either self-quarantine or self-isolate.
Self-quarantine means avoiding contact with other people and social situations as much as possible. You will need to do this if you are a close contact of a confirmed case of coronavirus and you are still well.
Self-isolation means staying indoors and completely avoiding contact with other people. You will need to do this if you have symptoms of coronavirus.
)
