Coronavirus testing

Testing if you have symptoms

Anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus should apply for the test straight away.

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• 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

Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.

If you or anyone you live with has any of these symptoms, you should stay at home and not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.

Get a free PCR test if showing symptoms by  booking online or calling 119.

Testing for those without symptoms

You may be unaware you have coronavirus if you are showing no symptoms. And you could, unknowingly, be passing it on to family, friends and loved ones. The more of us that get tested, the quicker we can stop the spread.

If you don’t have symptoms, you should test regularly using the lateral flow tests. You can get lateral flow tests from pharmacies, selected locations locally (check your council website), or order them online.

For more information on testing please visit click on your local authority below.

• Essex County Council
• Southend Borough Council
• Thurrock Council 

If you get a positive lateral flow test result, you no longer need to confirm the result with a PCR test. For more information on testing, visit the NHS website.