Researchers want fatigue, headache, sore throat and diarrhea to be added to the list of symptoms that should be tested for the coronavirus.
Currently on the list of such symptoms are: cough, fever and loss of sense of smell or taste.
Testing for these additional symptoms could yield 40 percent more cases, suggests King's College London and the Zoi Symptom Study app.
However, this would mean testing many more people who do not have the virus.
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A spokesman for the UK government's Department of Health and Social Care said: "A scientific team is monitoring the symptoms of Covid-19.
"The main symptoms have been carefully selected to test those most likely to have Covid-19, without including a large number of people who are not infected."
Team Zoi was the group that first identified loss of smell and taste as a symptom of Covid-19, leading to it being added to the official list of symptoms.
They observed this by looking at symptoms reported by people using their Covid Symptom Study mobile app, who still tested positive.
Analyzing data from more than 120.000 adults recording potential symptoms in the app, of which 1.200 reported a positive test, the team identified seven common symptoms.
The classic three, which qualify people to do a PCR test that is processed in a laboratory, are:
- Constant cough
- Fever
- Loss of sense of smell or taste
And four more already mentioned, including sore throat and diarrhea.
Anyone who reports one of these from a wider group of symptoms has been urged by Zoe to take a PCR test.
Although the seven symptoms suggested by the Zoi app may be early signs of the coronavirus, they are also extremely common and may have many other causes.
There is concern that if everyone with a headache goes to the test, it could overwhelm the system.
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Dr Margaret McCartney told BBC Radio 4 that a "pragmatic" approach was needed, with those living in areas with high levels of the virus treating those wider symptoms with more suspicion than those in areas with low numbers of Covid-19 cases.
Zoe's team admits the strategy would increase the number of people tested, but Dr Claire Steves, lead scientist on the app, says: “When PCR testing was barely available, it made sense to limit it.
"We now have many tests available in the UK, thanks to the great efforts of laboratories across the country, and every newly found person positive for the virus could save lives."
Professor Tim Spektor, who is leading the project, said: "We have known from the beginning that focusing on testing for classic symptoms such as cough, fever and loss of smell or taste misses a significant proportion of other cases.
"Our message is clear - if you feel unwell, it could be Covid and you should get tested."
He added that this is "particularly important" because new variants can cause different symptoms.
A study by the British Office for National Statistics revealed that cough, fatigue, sore throat and muscle pain may be more common in people who have tested positive for the British variant of the corona virus.
"Anyone with the main symptoms - a high fever, a new persistent cough, or a loss or change in their sense of smell or taste - should be tested as soon as possible and immediately self-isolate along with those they live with in the household," the Department of Health said. health and social care of Great Britain.
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