Do I have COVID-19: a short guide to symptoms? – Bulgaria

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Some 200,000 people, according to official data from the information system of the Ministry of Health, have been found to be infected with coronavirus in Bulgaria since the start of the epidemic. Although patients, their families and institutions have been gaining experience with COVID-19 for nine months, official summaries of the most common questions about the disease and their answers are lacking, with the exception of some videos posted on the state coronavirus website.

Dnevnik collected some of the information that can be found through official and unofficial sources and that can serve as a guide for non-specialists in case of suspected infection.

The explanations used come from documents from Bulgarian and foreign institutions, from appearances in the media by doctors and scientists, as well as from summaries of treatment manuals published on social networks from other countries and observations from doctors who have already encountered the disease.

Despite the information collected, in case of doubts and concerns about COVID-19, the main advice is seek medical help – general practitioner or specialist, and avoid self-medication.

Warning symptoms of COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists a number of symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (the virus that causes COVID-19), many of which have been supplemented in the course of the pandemic and knowledge of the disease . The most common symptoms are:

Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some patients are: loss of taste or smell, nasal congestion, conjunctivitis (also known as red eyes), sore throat, headache, muscle or joint pain, various types of skin rash , nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, colds and dizziness.

A post on Facebook provides some more specific criteria, explaining that they are based on recommendations from the Society for Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology of the Kingdom of Sweden and the observations of the country’s doctors. The author, Georgi Draganov, notes that he is a practicing physician in Sweden and has collected information that could help his Bulgarian colleagues. According to the data indicated by him, the symptoms observed in the country in contact with health professionals are:

1. High temperature (up to 40 degrees) in 60 to 99% of patients.
2. Fatigue: in 70% of patients.
3. Dry cough: 59%.
4. Loss of appetite: 40%.
5. Muscle pain: 35%.
6. Difficulty breathing – at 31%.
7. Cough with sputum – 27%.
8. Diarrhea, loss of appetite and smell, heart complications.

An online test has been available in Bulgaria since spring, which can guide people with suspected infection whether they are in the risk group and how they should react. It was developed by Dr. Ivan-Asen Shishmanov, a physician at the Pirogov Cardiology Clinic, and was agreed with the head of the clinic and other hospital specialists, as well as with the WHO recommendations. The survey is anonymous.

How long does it take for symptoms to appear?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since SARS-CoV-2the virus that causes COVID-19) lasts on average between five and six days until symptoms appear, but can vary between one and fourteen days. Therefore, the WHO urges those infected to stay at home and away from other people for 14 days and to prevent the spread of the virus, especially when tests are not available.

The Robert Koch Institute in Germany recommends that people with mild discomfort who, for one reason or another, cannot be tested, be treated at home for at least five days. In addition, they must be asymptomatic for 48 hours before having contact with other people. Therefore, if these “unrecognized patients” are infected with COVID-19, the chances of infecting others are greatly reduced. If complaints escalate, the Robert Koch Institute also advises a person to contact their personal physician.

How can you tell COVID-19 from influenza?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO emphasize that the symptoms are similar and it is difficult to judge which infection is based on them alone.

To determine if it is the flu or a virus, the CDC recommends a test. There is a combined test for coronavirus and flu in Bulgaria, but to get a chance, patients better consult their doctor.

In this context, a question and answer summary on coronavirus from Harvard University states that a patient’s physician should suspect a coronavirus if the patient has:

The survey: when and with what test?

It is used as a standard for detecting coronavirus infection in Bulgaria and the world. The PCR method, considered the most reliable.

According to the WHO, these tests are most effective during active infection, ie. a few days after infection and during the period when symptoms begin to appear. There is no point in getting tested the day after you have been in contact with a person who has developed symptoms; even if you are infected, the test will not be able to detect this and the result will be a false negative. You must wait at least three or four days. Despite the high degree of reliability, and in this study there are some conditions in different cases.

The results of the PCR test are obtained in approximately one day and, once confirmed, the infected person is subject to mandatory isolation for 14 days.

The other type of research that is often done is antigen testing. The results are known in about 20 minutes, but they are less accurate than those of the PCR method. Therefore, the health authorities of our country require that a positive antigen test be confirmed by PCR. The requirement of the authorities in Germany is similar.

A key detail of this study is that it is positive between the third and eighth day after infection and is reliable until the middle of the second week after the onset of symptoms, explained to “Dnevnik” Prof. Dr. Radka Argirova, virologist of the clinical laboratory of “Hospital Acibadem City Clinic Tokuda.

Where can the tests be done, what are their prices and when the state pays them, read here