The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have quietly added three new coronavirus symptoms to their list.
Nasal congestion or discharge, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea are now considered symptoms of COVID-19, according to the country’s main health agency.
The CDC list was last updated in April to add loss of taste or odor. The agency also included chills, repeated tremors with chills, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. An earlier list of symptoms was limited to fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
The latest in symptoms
Although the CDC says its list does not include all possible symptoms and will continue to update as more information related to coronavirus is discovered, the full list of key symptoms currently includes:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches.
- Headache
- New loss of taste or odor.
- Sore throat
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
The World Health Organization also breaks down its list of symptoms by severity, including other potential symptoms such as conjunctivitis, rash or discoloration of the fingers and toes, and loss of speech or movement.
Most common symptoms:
- fever.
- dry cough.
- fatigue.
Less common symptoms:
- aches and pains.
- sore throat.
- Diarrhea.
- conjunctivitis.
- headache.
- loss of taste or smell
- skin rash or discoloration of the fingers and toes.
Serious symptoms:
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- chest pain or pressure
- loss of speech or movement.
Skin doctors have also been watching the feet amid concern over a condition called “COVID toes.” The condition causes red, sore, and sometimes itchy swelling of chilblain-like toes, something doctors typically see on the feet and hands of people who have spent a lot of time outdoors in the cold.
According to the CDC, anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately:
- Difficulty breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.
- New confusion
- Inability to wake up or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
Coronavirus cases are on the rise in the US, with the largest increase occurring among people ages 20 to 44. Natasha Bhuyan, medical provider and regional director for One Medical, explains how social gatherings are leading to an increase in Covid-19 cases.
Who is more at risk?
Last week, the CDC renewed its list of Americans who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease, adding pregnant women and eliminating age alone as a factor.
The CDC also changed the list of underlying conditions that make someone more susceptible to suffering and death. Sickle cell disease joined the list, for example. And the threshold for risky levels of obesity was lowered.
The changes did not include adding race as a risk factor for serious illness, despite accumulating evidence that black, Hispanic, and Native American people have higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death.
Agency officials said the update was prompted by published medical studies since the CDC began to include high-risk groups. They tried to publicize the information before the Independence Day weekend, when many people may be tempted to go out and socialize.
“For those at higher risk, we recommend limiting contact with others as much as possible, or restricting contacts to a small number of people who are willing to take steps to reduce the risk of (you) becoming infected,” said the Dr. Director of the CDC. Robert Redfield
The same advice is valid for people living with or caring for people at higher risk, Redfield added.
Previously, the CDC said those at high risk for serious illness included people age 65 and older; those who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility; and people with severe heart conditions, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, and conditions that leave them with a weakened immune system.
In the changes, CDC created categories of high-risk people and high-risk people.
People at high risk include people with chronic kidney disease, chronic inflammatory lung disease, obesity, severe heart conditions, sickle cell disease, type 2 diabetes, and weakened immune systems due to organ transplants. The threshold for concern about obesity was lowered from a body mass index of 40 to 30.
The CDC said people are at higher risk as they age, but it removed people 65 and older as a high-risk group.
The list of people who may be at high risk includes pregnant women, smokers, and people with asthma, diseases that affect blood flow to the brain, cystic fibrosis, high blood pressure, dementia, liver disease, scarred or damaged lungs, type 1 diabetes, a rare blood disorder called thalassemia, and people who have weakened immune systems due to HIV or other reasons.
CDC officials say they hope to make recommendations for racial and ethnic minority groups soon.
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