A BASINGSTOKE mum has shared her experience of catching coronavirus to warn others about the importance of following the current government guidance.

Melissa Griffiths said she had none of the classic symptoms of Covid-19 when she went for a test and was therefore shocked when it came back positive last week.

Thankfully, the mother-of-two had stopped working because she was feeling poorly, meaning she may have prevented the spread of the virus to others at the school where she works.

The 28-year-old, who is now self-isolating and recovering at her home in Popley, said: “One of my colleagues tested positive and I thought I have been in close contact with her so as soon as I found out I came straight home. I collected my kids from school just in case.

“I wasn’t feeling well and had a massive migraine but nothing else.”

Melissa, who works as a key stage support worker in a Basingstoke school, was worried about feeling poorly and so booked a Covid-19 test last Wednesday.

“I felt really rubbish on Wednesday,” she explained, adding: “My son had a temperature, so I booked myself, my son and daughter all in for a test at The Anvil.”

On Thursday, Melissa woke up feeling much worse and by this point had a high temperature.

She received her results that day, showing both her and her six-year-old daughter were positive for Covid.

Her daughter only had a slight cough but was otherwise feeling well, while her three-year-old son was the only one with Covid symptoms, but his test returned negative.

The result forced her daughter’s class bubble to go home and self-isolate.

Melissa believes her quick response to self-isolate as soon as she felt unwell, and in response to her colleague testing positive, highlights the need to follow the government guidance, because otherwise she may have unknowingly spread the virus when she had no symptoms.

“The government really needs to consider adding headache as one of the symptoms because most of my colleagues had a headache and it’s really persistent,” she said.

“I also felt really lethargic and spent two and a half days in bed.”

Melissa later developed a persistent cough and said: “You think your kids won’t get it. I work at a school and wear a mask everywhere, sanitise every time I’m in a new place but I still got it.”

For government guidance on Covid-19 including when to book a test visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.