COVID-19 symptoms and how it spreads

Symptoms may include:

• fever (37.5  degrees Celsius or higher)
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
• runny nose
• loss of taste
• loss of smell.

Other reported symptoms include:

• fatigue
• blocked nose (nasal congestion)
• muscle pain
• joint pain
• headache
• diarrhoea
• nausea/vomiting
• loss of appetite.

In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia with severe acute respiratory distress.

COVID-19 is a human coronavirus that spreads from an infected person to other people in close contact:

• through contaminated droplets and aerosolised particles spread by coughing or sneezing
• by touching your mouth, nose and eyes with contaminated hands. Hands can become contaminated after contact with respiratory fluids, surfaces and objects containing the virus. 

The amount of time between exposure to the virus and the first appearance of symptoms is usually 3 days, although it may range from 2 to 14 days.

If you don't have symptoms

If you have COVID-19 but do not have any symptoms, this is called "asymptomatic".

If you have COVID-19 and do not have symptoms, you can still infect other people and they could get sick.

By staying at home when you have COVID-19 symptoms, you can help stop the spread of respiratory infections in the community.

See What COVID-19 test should I do? for more COVID-19 testing information.