The CDC has added six new COVID-19 symptoms to its list of things to watch for. The Center for Disease Control says there is a wide variety of reported symptoms that may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after a person is infected.
Previously, only shortness of breath, fever, and dry cough were listed as the primary symptoms of the virus. Now, the CDC says that other common symptoms are chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
Those symptoms have been widely reported but have only now been officially added to the list as doctors learn more about COVID-19’s effect on the human body. CNN’s Chris Cuomo spoke to Dr. Sanjay Gupta earlier this month about his experience being ill from the virus. Cuomo said he had such bad chills and shook so hard that he chipped a tooth. He also spoke of hallucinations, another symptom sometimes reported by those who battled COVID-19 and their families, though that symptom is not on the CDC list.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 765,371 people have recovered from COVID-19 worldwide as of April 24, but in the U.S, where the cases are the highest of any country the virus still continues to spread. There are 884,004 confirmed cases. So far 81,338 people in the U.S have recovered from the virus. Some who have recovered tell harrowing stories of unrelenting days of fevers, body aches, and painful breathing. Others who were hospitalized report having to learn basic human functions again.
David Lat, a lawyer and founder of the blog “Above the Law“, told CNN that he had to learn to breathe again after being on a ventilator for 6 of his 17 days in a New York hospital. “It’s not happily ever after, but it’s better than the alternative,” he said.
Leah Blomberg’s told CNN that after being in a medically-induced coma and on a ventilator for nine days that she is learning to walk again. She said, “The recovery is probably the worst. Basically, it’s having to learn to walk again, because of your muscles … it’s like you’ve never used them before.”
Stephen Thomas, the chair of infectious diseases at Upstate University Hospital told The Atlantic, “Some people really fall off the cliff, and we don’t have good predictors of who it’s going to happen to.” Others have much better luck. Karan Mahajan, a Providence Rhode Island-based author told the magazine, “My case ended up feeling like a mild flu that lasted for two weeks. And then it faded after that.”
Leah Blomberg’s told CNN that after being in a medically-induced coma and on a ventilator for nine days that she is learning to walk again. She said, “The recovery is probably the worst. Basically, it’s having to learn to walk again, because of your muscles … it’s like you’ve never used them before.”
Stephen Thomas, the chair of infectious diseases at Upstate University Hospital told The Atlantic, “Some people really fall off the cliff, and we don’t have good predictors of who it’s going to happen to.” Others have much better luck. Karan Mahajan, a Providence Rhode Island-based author told the magazine, “My case ended up feeling like a mild flu that lasted for two weeks. And then it faded after that.”
Coronavirus has quickly spread around the globe with the first report of the virus coming out of Wuhan, China on Dec. 31 last year, according to the World Health Organization. As of April 24, John’s Hopkins University is reporting 2,766,611 confirmed cases of the virus worldwide, with the majority cases being in the United States and in Europe.
While the symptoms listed by the CDC have grown, there is still much to be understood about why some people get severely ill and others only have a mild illness, while others can carry the virus and have no symptoms at all, and some die.
One thing that is established among so many unknowns is that “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,” according to the CDC. Though that doesn’t mean people of all ages can’t get severely ill or die.
Sources:
Heavy: 6 New Coronavirus Symptoms Added to the CDC’s List
Featured and Top Image Courtesy Of The White House – Public Domain
