Is a skin rash a coronavirus symptom and will it be added to NHS guidelines?
16 July 2020, 11:36
Scientists and medics are calling for 'skin rash' to be added to the NHS' list of coronavirus symptoms, but what are the facts?
Experts have urged the NHS to add 'skin rash' to their list of official COVID-19 symptoms.
Scientists want the symptom to be added to the list, which currently includes a high temperature, a new and continuous cough or a loss or change of smell and taste.
This comes after research found nearly one in 10 cases of coronavirus presented a dermatological reaction.
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Is a skin rash a coronavirus symptom?
At the moment, skin rash has not been added to the official list of coronavirus symptoms.
However, there has been some research carried out which shows a link between rashes and the virus.
Using 336,000 regular users of the Symptom Tracker app, research found that just under nine per cent of people who tested positive for coronavirus reported having skin rashes.
As well, 21 per cent of people who had a skin rash and tested positive for COVID-19 said the rash was their only symptom.
Will the NHS add skin rash to the list of coronavirus symptoms?
While experts are encouraging it, we do not know if the NHS plans to change their symptom guidelines.
What are the current official NHS coronavirus symptoms?
At the moment, the NHS list the symptoms as:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.
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