Why do I need a Fit-to-Fly Certificate if I have no symptoms?

25 March, 2021  |  Holy Winter - Healthcare Writer

If you are planning to travel abroad any time soon, then you know that you are required to have a Fit-to-Fly Certificate to be allowed to travel by air. The Fit-to-Fly Certificate is proof that you don’t have COVID and won’t be a risk to your fellow passengers and to the people of the country you are travelling to. You might think that you don’t need to take the test for COVID because you don’t have any of the symptoms associated with COVID, but that is a misconception.

According to a study by the Office of National Statistics, only 22% of participants who tested positive for COVID show noticeable virus symptoms. That means that nearly 80% of participants who test positive for COVID are asymptomatic.

The following are some reasons why you should take an RT-PCR Test for COVID, even if you aren’t showing any symptoms:

You Suspect That You Might Have Come in Contact with Someone Who Had COVID

Nowadays, as in the past many months, COVID has been spreading like wildfire, especially in urban areas. The chances of you having contact with someone who was infected are high if you live in a city.

That does not mean that you should be in a constant state of worry about avoiding other people. However, if someone notifies you that they have COVID and if you have been in physical contact with them in the past few days, then you should consider getting yourself tested. It would help if you tried to get tested within 2-7 days of coming into contact with them.

For your peace of mind, you can get yourself tested at any time, whether someone notifies you of their COVID diagnosis or not.

Visiting Vulnerable People

The people who come under the label of being ‘vulnerable’ are typically elderly people, people with disabilities and underlying health conditions, or people with immune system problems. If you are in contact with any vulnerable people, you should get yourself tested before that to prevent the possibility of you infecting them.

You Are Planning to Travel Abroad

If you plan to go out of the UK, you’ll need a negative COVID RT-PCR Test and a Fit-to-Fly Certificate before you’ll be allowed to board your flight.

The purpose of these new travel regulations is to reduce the spread of COVID across national borders. Airlines are also interested in keeping all of their passengers safe from contracting COVID for the flight duration.

You Have Different Symptoms

Suppose you don’t have the classic symptoms of COVID, such as constant coughing or a loss in smell or taste. Instead, you have seemingly unrelated symptoms, such as a sore throat or a runny nose. In this case, it is still possible that you have COVID, and you should get yourself tested.

This is because COVID can present itself very differently in different people, so it is better to be safe than sorry.

You Work at an Office or Travel for Work

If you are going to an office regularly, you should get tested routinely. Routine testing is a responsible way to keep yourself safe and avoid infecting anyone else.

Why is Getting Tested so Important?

The importance of getting yourself tested for COVID cannot be overstated. While most people who have contracted COVID had mild or no symptoms, it is still possible for them to be infected and pass the virus on to their friends and family. At the same time, other people can’t know for certain who they have been in close contact with (within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes) or if someone has COVID pathogens for sure.

Therefore, you must get yourself tested, especially if you go outside regularly and are unable to avoid close contact with other people.

What Are the Symptoms of COVID?

You should consider getting tested for COVID if you have any of these symptoms:

• Constant cough

• Fever or chills

• Sore throat

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Runny nose

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Loss of taste or smell

• Body or muscle aches

• Vomiting

• Diarrhoea

If you are presenting one or more of these symptoms, you should get yourself tested right away, as a positive result for COVID could mean a lot of limitations on your life, such as no air travel.

If you venture out into your community even once a month, you should still get yourself tested regularly, no matter how many precautions you take while you are outside. If you have not come down with any signs of illness associated with COVID or have not had any contact with someone who was infected, you do not need to isolate yourself at home while waiting for your test results.

On the other hand, there is a chance that the result will come back positive. Until you know for certain that you are not infected, you should practice social distancing and wearing a mask while around other people.

In August of last year, almost 40% of people who tested positive for COVID never developed any symptoms. They didn’t have a fever or a constant cough, or shortness of breath. They also didn’t experience a loss of smell or taste or any other symptoms associated with COVID.

Even if these asymptomatic people are seemingly fine on the outside, scans of the inside of their lungs show cloudy white areas called ‘ground-glass opacities’. There is also the risk of inflammation around the organs.

We still don’t know much about people who have no symptoms but are positive for COVID. That’s all the more reason why you should get tested today for your peace of mind. iQ Doctor is here to guide you through the entire process. Get in touch with us today and find out if you have COVID or not.

In conclusion, if you don’t have any symptoms of COVID, you shouldn’t become complacent. Asymptomatic COVID is a real risk, and that is why you should consider getting yourself tested. Get your COVID-19 Corona Virus Home Test Kit from iQ Doctor today and put your mind at ease.