Red eyes may be telltale sign you’ve got coronavirus, nurse warns – The Sun

As well as the more well-known signs of a fever and a new, continuous cough, individuals with the deadly bug could also develop bloodshot eyes as if they were having an allergic reaction.

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Chelsey Earnest, a worker at the Life Care Center in Washington, told CNN that for her, the eyes were "the single most important" sign patients had Covid-19.

She said: "It's something that I witnessed in all of the patients.

"They have, like…allergy eyes. The white part of the eye is not red. It's more like they have red eye shadow on the outside of their eyes."

The NHS doesn't list red eyes – or any eye issues – on its official list of symptoms.

They say the two main signs to look out for are a high temperature, meaning you feel hot to touch on your chest or back, and a new, continuous and dry cough.

Some patients may also have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhoea – but these are usually mild and begin gradually.

And more recently, The British Association of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT UK) said loss of smell or taste could also be a sign that you have contracted coronavirus.

Despite this, developing these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have the illness and they are similar to other illnesses, such as the common cold or flu.

Some people will not develop all of these symptoms –  and some might not even show symptoms at all, experts say.

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Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK's chief scientific adviser, said: "It looks quite likely that there is some degree of asymptomatic transmission.

"There’s definitely quite a lot of transmission very early in the disease when there are very mild symptoms."

The NHS is currently advising people with either a temperature or a new, continuous cough to stay at home and self-isolate for seven days.

If you live with others, they should also stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person started showing symptoms.

Anyone with suspected coronavirus who becomes seriously ill should call 111.

More than 8,000 people have contracted coronavirus in the UK so far, with a death toll of 422.

Around one out of every six who gets Covid-19 become seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are at most risk developing serious illness.

This can include pneumonia and swelling in the lungs, which can make it hard for the lungs to pass oxygen into the bloodstream – leading to organ failure and death.

Severe pneumonia can kill people by causing them to "drown" in the fluid flooding their lungs.

People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention, the WHO says.

Currently, there is no vaccine to protect people against the virus.

Antibiotics do not help, as they do not work against viruses – only bacteria.

The NHS says that treatment – including paracetamol – aims to relieve the symptoms while your body fights the illness.

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