What to do if you think you or someone else might have Covid-19.
Key information and what you will need to do if you think you, or someone else, may have Covid-19.
Further details on University of Edinburgh Covid-19 processes can be found on the Covid-19 SharePoint site (staff access only)
Symptoms, contact tracing and health conditions
The most common symptoms of Coronavirus (Covid-19) are recent onset of:
- new continuous cough and/or
- high temperature
- Loss of taste or smell
If you have symptoms of Covid-19, you should self-isolate and arrange for a PCR Covid-19 test through the NHS.
Further information can be found on the NHS Inform webpage
Symptomatic testing
If you have symptoms of Covid-19, you can book a free PCR test via the NHSInform website:
If you’re in Edinburgh, there are a number of centres you can use for tests:
Covid-19 testing centres in Edinburgh
Asymptomatic testing
Everyone is Scotland can get rapid lateral flow devices (LFDs) for testing at home twice a week. You can order these to go to your home or collect a LFD test kit from your nearest pharmacy or testing site.
‘TestEd’ research project
The University and the UK Medical Research Council are supporting an exciting research project to develop a new approach to Covid-19 testing, called TestEd. Participation is voluntary and testing is currently available at nine centres across the University. Please find out more at:
If you receive a positive result from either a LFT or TestEd, you must self-isolate immediately and organise an NHS PCR test for confirmation.
Please inform the University if you need to self-isolate. More information on how to do this is provided in the FAQ below.
Contact tracing is the process for identifying people who are at risk of Coronavirus infection because they‘ve had enough contact with a person who has tested positive. These people will be given advice to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
Everyone who tests positive for Coronavirus will be put in touch with their local contact tracing team (Test and Protect) to help identify who they’ve been in close contact with.
A close contact is defined as:
- those that are living in the same household as a case
- face to face contact with a case for any length of time within 1 metre of a case
- extended close contact within 2 metres for more than 15 minutes with a case
Close contacts of a person who has tested positive, will need to self-isolate for a full 10 days from the date they last came into contact with the positive case, if the contact was during their potentially infectious period. The potentially infectious period starts 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms, or for those without symptoms, 48 hours prior to their positive test result. Further information on contact tracing is available on NHS Inform. As an identified close contact, you can shorten your self-isolation period if you are fully vaccinated and receive a negative PCR test.
University process
NHS Health Protection team work closely with the Health and Safety Department if any students or staff test positive. We will assist with identifying close contacts and arrange for them to self-isolate. This may involve assistance from the Schools/Departments, Timetabling Unit and/or Accommodation, Catering and Events. The Health and Safety Department will oversee this process and contact all concerned. See below (If someone on campus tests positive for Covid-19) for more information on this process.
NHS Scotland’s Protect Scotland app is to designed identify people who may be at risk from Covid-19 because they were in close contact with someone who has the virus.
The app alerts users if they have been in close contact with another app user who tests positive. And if a user tests positive, it can help determine contacts that they may have otherwise missed while keeping personal information private and anonymous.
For more information on the app please visit the Protect Scotland website or download it through the App Store and Google Play.
We have moved the content of this FAQ to the Self-isolation advice page which now also includes when you can end self-isolation.
Guidance for students
If you’re currently studying or conducting research on-campus, please let the University know if you are self-isolating:
Students - informing the University if you're self-isolating
Further guidance and support for students who need to self-isolate can be found on the webpage link below:
Guidance for staff
Please let the University know if you (or someone you manage) are self-isolating or have tested positive by completing this web form:
Staff - informing the University if you're self-isolating
You will also need to contact your manager and let them know that you are self-isolating.
If you have informed the University that you are self-isolating and then subsequently test positive for Covid-19, you will need to resubmit this form and let us know about the positive test.
Guidance on Covid-19 case management on campus Case management on or off campus
If you have taken a PCR test
A workplace risk assessment will take place if a staff or student member has taken a PCR test because they have symptoms of Covid-19, has subsequently received a positive PCR result and has been on campus in their possibly infectious period (48 hours before their symptoms or before a test if asymptomatic). This will involve a telephone discussion with the positive person about their movement on campus and if there could be any close contacts. This will be undertaken by the UoE Covid Hub Team which complements, but does not replace, the Test and Protect system once a report is submitted using the online reporting forms.
If any close contacts are identified at the University, the Covid Hub Team will contact those affected with specific advice depending upon their own circumstances. Staff and students should not advise anyone else to self-isolate and take a PCR test unless advised by the Test and Protect system. Any queries can be sent to safety.covid19@ed.ac.uk.
If you have taken a lateral flow test or TestEd test
If a staff or student member receives a positive result from either a LFT or TestEd, they must self-isolate immediately and organise an NHS PCR test for confirmation. No other actions are required apart from reporting they are self-isolating using the online reporting forms, selecting that they are self-isolating (NOT that they are COVID-19 positive, this should only be reported after a positive NHS PCR test).
If the subsequent PCR test result comes back negative, this confirms that the lateral flow test was a false positive. If the NHS PCR test comes back positive, this should be reported as above and the Covid Hub Team will begin the workplace risk assessment process.
This guidance is based on the Public Health Scotland guidance as well as discussions with NHS Lothian Health Protection Team (HPT), and will be updated as required. This guidance is aimed at Schools and Departments. Accommodation, Catering and Events (ACE) have their own process to follow appropriate to their own environment. Flow charts have also been published on the Covid-19 SharePoint site (staff access only).
As a reminder, if you have any symptoms, you must not attend work and should contact NHS Inform to arrange a test.
Anyone who starts to feel unwell with Covid-19 symptoms whilst at work should inform a member of staff or responsible person immediately.
Mild symptoms
Anyone with mild symptoms and do not require hospital treatment should go home as soon as you notice symptoms and self-isolate. Where possible you should minimise contact with others, e.g. use a private vehicle to go home, or walk home.
If using public transport, ensure you wear a face covering and keep a distance from other passengers.
If you are waiting for someone to pick you up, you should wait in an unoccupied room/area during this time and ensure other staff or students are aware not to access that area, see below for more guidance on waiting areas.
Acute symptoms
If a staff or student is unwell with Covid-19 and they require an ambulance, call the emergency services on (9)999 and let the call handler know you are concerned about Covid-19.
While you wait for advice or an ambulance to arrive, try to find somewhere safe for the unwell person to sit which is at least 2 metres away from other people. If possible and it is safe to do so, they should wait in an unoccupied room/ area during this time.
It is a good idea to identify suitable areas in your buildings where staff or students could be taken if required in advance.
Personal health and safety
Although it is natural to try and assist someone who is ill or go closer to them, try and maintain physical distancing if you can and assist them remotely by placing items, such as tissues, on a desk - ask them to step back before you step forward to place the item and then you step back before they come forward to pick them up. The Health and Safety Department have produced short videos on what to do in a first aid situation.
Next steps for staff
If the staff member is subsequently absent, please follow your normal absence reporting procedure but also check the 'Absence recording and annual leave' page in the Staff Covid-19 FAQs where detailed guidance has been published.
Please ask your staff member to let the University know if they are self-isolating or have tested positive by completing this web form:
The NHS Test and Protect system will undertake all contact tracing, although the Health and Safety Department will be informed if there are any staff or students with positive results once the online reporting forms are submitted and will follow up certain cases.
For staff
If a staff member is absent with Covid-19 symptoms, or is required to self-isolate, please follow your normal absence reporting procedure but also check the 'Absence recording and annual leave' page in the Staff section of this website where further guidance has been published. Please also follow the procedures at the Covid-19 SharePoint site (staff access only).
Please ask your staff member to let the University know if they are self-isolating or have tested positive by completing this web form:
Informing the University if you're self-isolating
For students
If a student lets you know they have Covid-19 symptoms and are self-isolating, you should advise them to inform the University using our official reporting form:
Students - informing the University if you're self-isolating