A Monaghan GP is warning that patients are still turning up at doctor’s surgeries with COVID-19 symptoms.

It comes as the Government pushed back the next phase of reopening for another three weeks.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Dr Illona Duffy said patients are still unsure about the symptoms of the virus, five months after the outbreak hit home.

“I think it has been a bit of a confusing journey,” she said.

“At the very beginning, we were quite clear. We were saying it was only sore throat and cough and temperature.

“Now we are understanding that this disease presents in so many different ways that people often are not aware that things like diarrhoea might well be a COVID symptom and if you have diarrhoea, you shouldn’t be going out and you need to ring your GP and arrange for yourself to be tested.

“We are also now aware that various rashes are a presentation and that things like conjunctivitis can also be it.

“So, I think there is a sense of confusion and probably a need for further updating of the public through media campaigns of the changing and evolving symptoms that can say that you may have COVID.”

Dr Duffy said that the low numbers of new cases in recent weeks have seen many people dropping their guard on the virus.

“Perhaps we have been saying, ‘look things are settling, the numbers are dropping and this is great news.

“‘People are now feeling well, it is not around me, I don’t know anyone who has tested positive so it can’t be COVID and if I have a cough, it is probably just a bit of a cold.

“They are no longer thinking it could be COVID. That fear factor is gone. While we don’t want people living in fear and we want people to try being able to live a normal life, at the same stage I think people’s guard is down and therefor we are at risk of seeing further community transmission.”