What We Now Know About COVID-19 Virus

The virus arrived in late 2019, and the infection chain traced back to a food market in Wuhan, China. Air travel ensured it rapidly spread as far as Philippines and United States. To date, COVID-19 infected over 200 million people, and stole the lives of 4.5 million. Today we share what we now know about COVID-19 in terms of typical outcomes.

What We Now Know About COVID-19 Symptoms

The virus may not show any symptoms at all, as in the case with asymptomatic infections. However many cases do, and often display some of these common signs according to Health Line:

Shortness of breath
Persistent cough that gets worse
Congestion, runny nose
Fever, chills and / or fatigue

There are far too many other symptoms to list in a short post. Always seek medical advice if you have any condition concerning you.

The Sequence in Which These Symptoms Appear

Mild COVID-19 cases are those where cough, fatigue, loss of smell or taste appear, but there is no breath shortness, or unusual chest imaging. However, more severe COVID-19 is a different matter. You therefore ought to call for emergency medical assistance if you show any of these signs:

Trouble breathing
Blue lips or a blue face
Persistent pain / pressure on your chest
A sense of confusion / excessive drowsiness

Note though that these signs overlap those of influenza, which may also have serious consequences if left unattended.

Some People Are at Greater Risk from COVID

We are all of us at greater risk of catching COVID, if we don’t take sensible precautions in public, or spend time with somebody with the infection. However, the risk of severe symptoms increases if we have certain co-morbidities. The following pre-existing simultaneous medical conditions apply here: