From The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Stacey Burling
By now, we all should have memorized the key symptoms of the novel coronavirus that public health officials have hammered home: fever, cough, and trouble breathing.
However, that message may have given some who thought they had to have all three symptoms at once a false sense of security.
Symptoms can be subtle. It is known that some people infected have no symptoms or ones so mild that they’re not noticed.
Daniel Mueller, an infectious diseases doctor at Temple University Hospital, said infected people might feel “just slightly under the weather for a few days.… They might just feel a little tired or a little achy." It’s the sort of feeling you’d have if you thought you were coming down with something, but nothing very worrisome.
Then they might start having a dry cough. Later, in some people, shortness of breath comes on. “They don’t always happen together,” Mueller said.
It’s not like the flu. Unlike the flu, which announces itself suddenly with fever and muscle aches, the early stages of COVID-19 can go on for a few days.
Nuala Meyer, a pulmonary and critical-care medicine doctor at Penn Medicine, would add sore throat to the list of early symptoms.
In severe cases, patients develop pneumonia and need help breathing.
A rarely mentioned early symptom is gastrointestinal distress. About 10% of cases can start with a couple of days of diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting and then respiratory symptoms develop.
There is evidence of viral shedding in feces. That is not proof that virus in the stool is infectious, but is reason to worry that the disease can be transmitted through a fecal-oral route. It’s another argument for good hand hygiene and bathroom cleaning.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology on March 25 issued a warning to its members that some patients with conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the thin, transparent tissue that lines eyelids and part of the eye also known as pink eye, can be an early sign of coronavirus.
British ear, nose and throat doctors have also raised the alarm that loss of the sense of smell can be a symptom.
Read the full article: What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus?
From CDC
Watch for symptoms. Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.*
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
When To Seek Medical Attention:
If you develop emergency warnings signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.
Read the full article: Symptoms of Coronavirus - CDC