26th November 2021

Symptomatic individuals - think Covid-19, Flu and other seasonal respiratory viruses

As we all know, anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should isolate and take a COVID-19 PCR test, but many of the symptoms are similar to flu and other winter infections, such as:

A symptomatic individual who tests negative for COVID-19 may have another infectious illness like flu. Therefore action may still be needed to limit transmission including using appropriate PPE when working with symptomatic people receiving care and isolation while the individual is unwell.

If you believe two or more symptomatic cases may be linked and that you may have an outbreak within your service, you should contact your local Health Protection Team (HPT), who will  advise whether any further action or additional testing (including flu testing) is needed.

Remember, there are also preventative steps to take to reduce the risk from flu:

• Maximise flu vaccination uptake as well as COVID-19 boosters. Staff can receive a free flu vaccine by booking an appointment at their GP practice or community pharmacy.
• Keep good Infection prevention and control measures in place - flu spreads in a similar way to Covid-19. The measures in place for Covid-19 such as ventilation, hand hygiene, social distancing, PPE, cleaning and avoiding symptomatic individuals entering the setting will all help to reduce the risks from flu. This poster can be displayed for visitors, if it is appropriate for your setting.

Thank you, 

NHS Test and Trace