COVID-19 cases are showing no signs of subsiding. And, with vaccine still taking time to reach the public, overcoming the pandemic looks like a distant dream for now. Making matters worse is constant change in climate and unseasonal rains. People are scared to visit doctors even for common cold and cough, out of fear of contracting the virus. Some are even casually heard saying they already might have contracted the virus.
From a fever to sore throat to fatigue, COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild illnesses to fatal consequences. As SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory illness, its symptoms have often been confused with the signs of other respiratory infections such as flu or common cold. And, thus, many people with mild symptoms often end up not visiting the doctor on time, and recover on their own over time without knowing they might have contracted the virus. The severe cases always end up needing treatment, with long-lasting side-effects. According to a study published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, researchers observed 412 patients and found that 82 per cent of them reported neurological problems that lasted even after they were treated with the virus.
So, how to identify if you already have contracted coronavirus? Here are five common symptoms:
Muscle pain:
The study found out that 44.8 per cent of the total number of participants experienced muscle pain due to COVID-19 infection. Muscle or body aches have also been listed as symptoms of COVID-19 by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Headaches:
Headaches have been listed as one of the common symptoms of COVID-19 by the CDC. It can range from mild pain in the head to severe aches that can seem unbearable.
Mental confusion:
According to the study, brain fog or mental confusion has also been reported amongst the participants — 31.8 per cent of the participants experienced it.
Loss of taste and smell:
Loss of smell and taste are common in people who have Covid-19 infection. And, now a new study has discovered that these symptoms often occur before the onset of other symptoms like fever or shortness of breath. According to the study, published in the journal Neurology, almost two-thirds of the people admitted to an Italian hospital with Covid-19 in March experienced losing their senses of smell and taste. “While many people show evidence of Covid-19 infection in the lungs, we found there could be more at play than what a person’s lungs can tell us,” said study author Francesco Bax from the Santa Maria della Misericordia University Hospital in Italy.
Sore eyes:
According to reports, many people who tested positive for the coronavirus have complained of developing pain in the eyes.
