Six new symptoms have been added to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) existing list of symptoms for COVID-19. The new symptoms are chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste and/or smell. These symptoms join the original symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath/difficulty breathing. Symptoms of COVID-19 typically appear 2-14 days after exposure and range from mild to severe.
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is expanding testing throughout the state, so it is important for people to recognize these symptoms and seek testing if they are ill.
All symptomatic individuals are eligible for COVID-19 testing. Health care workers, first responders, law enforcement, and long-term care facility residents and staff are all prioritized for testing whether they have symptoms or not.
People should not arrive unannounced or without a scheduled appointment at a specimen collection site. There are two ways to be referred for COVID-19 testing:
Individuals who meet COVID-19 testing criteria may now be referred to DPH specimen collection sites by contacting their local health department. They will be screened by appropriate health department staff and referred to the closest, most convenient specimen collection site. Contact information for local health departments can be found on the DPH homepage at https://dph.georgia.gov/, under COVID-19 in Georgia.
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