Researchers based out of Austin Health and the University of Melbourne on Thursday published a paper in Plos One which assessed a cohort of patients at a COVID-19 screening clinic in Melbourne in March and April.

They used the patients' reported respiratory symptoms and travel history to derive a model of variables predictive of a positive test.

These were: COVID-19 patient exposure or international travel, muscle aches, loss of smell and taste, fever, sore throat, oxygen deprivation and being aged above 65.

These symptoms formed the mnemonic "COVID-MATCH65", and the researchers said frontline medical professionals could use this tool in the absence of testing to predict if a person has COVID-19.

The more variables the person met, the more likely they had COVID-19 - with patient exposure or international travel and loss of smell or taste deemed the clearest signs of infection.

"The subsequent clinical decision rule, COVID-MATCH65, has a high sensitivity and (negative predictive value) for SARS-CoV-2 and can be employed in the pandemic, adjusted for disease prevalence, to aid COVID-19 risk assessment and vital testing resource allocation," the report says.

COVID-MATCH65: THE BREAKDOWN

* C for COVID-19 patient exposure or international travel

* M for myalgia, or muscle aches

* A for anosmia or ageusia, or loss of smell and taste

* T for temperature, or fever

* C for coryza, or a sore throat

* H for hypoxia, or low oxygen concentrations in the blood

* 65 for ages 65 and older

(SOURCE: PLOS ONE)

Australian Associated Press