A new story on top of WaPo has an updated list of the most common coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms:
CDC confirms six coronavirus symptoms showing up in patients over and over
Actually, the CDC website includes symptoms that are already known that WaPo for some reason left out:
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
Loss of smell (which can cause loss of taste) occurred in around 85% of cases in one European study. Doctors are increasingly looking at this as a sign that a person may have been infected but is otherwise asymptomatic.
Extreme fatigue (as in, it’s a struggle to get out of bed to go to the bathroom) has been reported as well, but apparently not often enough to be included in the CDC’s list.
IANAD, and I’ll add that symptoms in themselves are not a diagnosis. But as the article says,
The additional symptoms could make it easier for people to know when to ask for a test, and it could help physicians determine when patients need to be tested or at least be told to assume they have it and self-isolate.
And CDC’s overall advice:
The CDC continues to recommend managing symptoms at home unless they include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure on the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, or bluish lips or face.
(Not sure what “inability to arouse” is supposed to mean...) The CDC page also adds this warning:
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
This diary is offered as a public service announcement.
Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 · 1:28:58 AM +00:00 · Dan K
Just watched Rachel reporting that the CDC posted these updated guidelines over a week ago but made no announcement about it. That means that lots of people went untested because in many places the rule is, you can only get tested if you have one of the symptoms listed by the CDC. In particular, this means that loss of smell, now seen to be a significant symptom, would NOT be a reason to test.
Comment: This may not be the CDC’s fault. Trump basically hasn’t allowed them to brief for weeks now.
Further comment: I poked around some more, and major media are saying these guidelines were released today; also, WaPo hasn’t changed its story. So I’m leaving this update up, with a caution that while Rachel is almost always extremely reliable and doesn’t report anything she isn’t sure of, right now I’m treating this as single-source with confirmation needed.