What should you do if you think you have coronavirus?

Many of those infected with coronavirus will develop only mild to moderate symptoms, but what do you do if you think you've caught the virus?

ITV News spoke to two nurses who explain how you should treat your symptoms, when to go to hospital and what happens when you feel better.

How to treat symptoms?

Locum nurse Shelley Folkes said plenty of rest is needed to fight the virus. Credit: ITV News

Shelley Folkes a locum nurse told ITV News: "You're going to need plenty of rest, lots and lots of fluid to keep yourself hydrated and use simple paracetamol to combat a fever."

Nichola Mazur, an NHS nurse who works on the frontline, added: "Humidifiers and steaming can be useful to loosen up congestion and make things a little bit more comfortable and making sure you're in an isolated room that has ventilation."

Do you need to go to hospital?

Medical advice is to not go to hospital if you are displaying symptoms. Credit: Photo by Michael Amadeus on Unsplash.

"No, if you do have symptoms you don't go into hospital - if you do have the virus this can then spread to other people," said Ms Mazur.

"For most people, you will recover at home without the need for any medical intervention."

Ms Folkes added: "If your symptoms become unmanageable then there is the online 111 assessment tool that will guide you through an assessment to tell you which pathway you need to take at the moment.

"Obviously, if your symptoms become very severe like extreme shortness of breath or reduced conscious level then you will need to call 999 and the ambulance service will assess you over the phone."

What if you live with other people?

Ms Mazur told ITV News: "Just take extra precaution and if you have someone in the family who falls under one of those vulnerable groups - someone who is elderly or who has underlying health conditions - try and keep that two-metre distance wherever possible."

Reiterating the advice about social distancing, Ms Folkes said: "Sleeping in different bedrooms if possible, different bathrooms, eating at different times and facilitating real high levels of cleanliness - lots of hand washing and wiping down surfaces and remembering things like door handles and toilet flushes in between uses."

Nichola Mazur is an NHS nurse who works on the frontline. Credit: ITV News

What do you do when you feel better?

It is really important that from the day you start experiencing symptoms you self-isolate for seven days, even if you feel better on day five.

If there are other people in your household they need to self-isolate for 14 days from the first sign of your symptoms - this is so they can monitor for their signs and symptoms of coronavirus.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know