When COVID-19 began to spread in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a short list of symptoms to watch out for: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. As the investigation into the new coronavirus and tests expanded, the official list grew to a total of nine symptoms in April.
Now, the agency has once again added three more signs of coronavirus to its list: stuffy or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. The CDC did not make an official announcement about the additional symptoms, they simply appeared on the agency’s official list. (Also, they may not feel exactly new, as the World Health Organization identified these symptoms in February.)
So why does the CDC list of symptoms keep growing? It’s important to remember that COVID-19 is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, principal investigator for the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety. “We are now learning about the full spectrum of the disease,” he explains. “Initially, most of our information came from serious cases in hospitals. Now that we can do a more extensive test, we can see all the different symptoms that may not have been noticed before. “
What are the official symptoms of COVID-19?
At the time of publication, the CDC lists the symptoms below as possible signs of COVID-19, which may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Note: The agency says this list does not include all possible symptoms of coronavirus; for example, some patients have reported a mysterious skin rash, but it has not yet been added. The following list will be continually updated as more information becomes available.
1. Fever or chills
This is one of the most common signs of COVID-19, doctors say. A fever is defined as having a temperature of 100.4 ° F or more.
2. Cough
Patients generally experience a dry cough, which means that nothing appears with the cough, such as phlegm or mucus.
3. Shortness of breath
This is more common in severe cases of COVID-19, says Dr. Adalja. Difficulty breathing can range in severity, from feeling out of breath during normal activities (such as climbing a flight of stairs) to having trouble breathing on your own.
4. fatigue
You may feel exhausted since your body is working hard to fight the virus. “It doesn’t leave much energy for you,” says Susan Besser, MD, a primary care physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
5. Muscle or body aches.
This is another typical symptom of other viral infections, like the flu, and may be the direct result of a fever, says David Cutler, MD, a family medicine doctor at Providence Saint John Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Having a fever “can make the body feel sore everywhere,” he says, due to the inflammatory response in his system.
6. headache
Fever can also cause a persistent headache, says Dr. Cutler. Other side effects of being sick, such as not sleeping well, eating normally, or drinking enough water can also cause blows to the head.
7. New loss taste or smell
This isn’t really unknown after someone gets sick from a virus, says Rachel Kaye, MD, an assistant professor of laryngology: voice, airway, and swallowing disorders at Rutgers University. Viruses can inflame the lining of the nasal cavity and cause it to swell, and that can change your ability to smell and taste things, she explains.
8. Sore throat
COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, so it can cause excess mucus to drip down the back of your nose and throat. That, along with constant coughing, can irritate the throat, says Dr. Besser.
9. Stuffy or runny nose (most recently added)
If you’ve ever had a nasty cold from the flu, you know these symptoms tend to be common with viral respiratory infections. Stuffy or runny nose can be the direct result of swelling of the nasal cavity that affects your sense of smell, says Dr. Kaye.
10. Nausea or vomiting. (most recently added)
It is not entirely clear why this can happen, but there are some theories. Nausea and vomiting may be due to further drainage of the postnasal drip into the stomach, says Dr. Besser. But, he adds, it could simply be the way the virus behaves in some people.
Research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology It was also theorized that the virus can cause these symptoms because it can enter its system through “a receptor found in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, where it is expressed at levels nearly 100 times higher than in the respiratory organs.”
11. Diarrhea (most recently added)
Theories behind diarrhea as a symptom are the same as for nausea or vomiting: the virus can simply take root in the digestive tract in a “single subgroup” of people, the same American Journal of Gastroenterology study found. After analyzing the symptoms of more than 200 people who had a mild case of COVID-19, they found that almost 20% of them had diarrhea as their first symptom.
How can you know if your symptoms are caused by COVID-19, a cold, or allergies?
At this point, it appears that almost any symptom of the upper respiratory tract could be a sign of COVID-19. Therefore, it is natural to wonder if you have allergies, a cold, or COVID-19 if you develop fairly average symptoms, such as a runny nose, cough, or headache.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell the difference. “In some cases, it will be impossible to tell the symptoms of allergies or a cold from COVID-19,” says Dr. Adalja. However, he recommends taking into account your personal history. If you have Never You have dealt with allergies in the past, but suddenly have symptoms, you may want to be more concerned than if you have always experienced seasonal allergies and have symptoms.
Another great warning, according to Dr. Adalja: Allergies don’t cause fever (but they can cause a headache and cough). Allergies also tend to cause symptoms to appear more gradually, for example, over days or weeks, while signs of COVID-19 can appear much faster, says Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist at Allergy & Asthma Network.
Dr. Parikh urges people not to jump to conclusions, especially if you have been practicing known COVID prevention strategies, such as keeping a distance of six feet from others, washing your hands frequently, and wearing a mask in public, to Unless you’ve been around someone who recently tested positive for the virus and has a fever with unexplained fatigue. If you are not sure, call your doctor, who can guide you through the next best steps.
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