Coronavirus: Three common symptoms not officially listed by the NHS – what to look for

2020-05-19

Coronavirus death toll has now climbed to 34,796 but there is a general acknowledgement that the UK is over the worst of the crisis now. With the dust starting to settle, the government is facing growing scrutiny over its handling of the crisis. One area coming under attack is the list of symptoms formally recognised by the government.

Coronavirus symptoms – woman explains the very worst sign of COVID-19

After much convincing it seems, loss of smell and taste has finally been added to the NHS’s list of potential symptoms, but according to Epidemiologist at King’s College London Professor Tim Spector, this new addition is not entirely consistent with his findings.

Professor Spector is the architect of the COVID-19 symptom study app, which has studied the data from millions of confirmed and suspected cases of the deadly virus and found there are 14 symptoms of coronavirus.

In partnership with the Department for Health, the researchers followed around 10,000 people who had a positive test for coronavirus for two weeks.

Prof Spector’s data recognises loss of smell and taste but these symptoms are the most commonly reported first warning signs.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: “In that group, it was headache, sore throat and muscle pain which were the commonest first symptoms for the first two days.

“Usually fever and cough and loss of smell did not come until day three or four so (the NHS) app will fail because if you only report when you have a fever or a cough that’s not until day three – and you’ve been infecting everyone for the last three days.”

This discrepancy could be having serious and immediate health implications, he said.

“They’re dumbing it down because they think everyone is too stupid. I think people can understand it’s a weird disease and when in doubt, say you’re ill and get tested,” warned Prof Spector.

DON’T MISS
Live longer: Drinking this type of tea could increase your life expectancy [TIPS]
Bowel cancer: Tenesmus is a warning sign of the deadly disease – what is it? [TIPS]
How to lose visceral fat: The surprising food that could help banish the harmful belly [TIPS]

According to the King’s College researcher, the most at-risk group also tends to experience different symptoms.

Elderly people commonly experience confusion and diarrhoea, he said.

They can also get hypothermia so their temperature actually goes down rather than having a fever, warned Prof Spector.

What should I do if I spot the warning signs?

To protect others, you must stay at home if you or someone you live with has symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the NHS.

This is called self-isolation, which is aimed at stemming the spread.

Coronavirus symptoms – woman explains the very worst sign of COVID-19

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, self-isolate for seven days, says the NHS.

After seven days:

You can stop self-isolating if your symptoms have gone, or if you just have a cough or changes to your sense of smell or taste – these symptoms can last for weeks after the infection has gone
Keep self-isolating if you have any other symptoms (such as a high temperature, runny nose, feeling sick or diarrhoea) – you can stop self-isolating when your symptoms have gone

If you live with someone who has symptoms, self-isolate for 14 days from the day their symptoms started, notes the NHS.

This is because it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, self-isolate for seven days, says the NHS.

After seven days:

You can stop self-isolating if your symptoms have gone, or if you just have a cough or changes to your sense of smell or taste – these symptoms can last for weeks after the infection has gone
Keep self-isolating if you have any other symptoms (such as a high temperature, runny nose, feeling sick or diarrhoea) – you can stop self-isolating when your symptoms have gone

If you live with someone who has symptoms, self-isolate for 14 days from the day their symptoms started, notes the NHS.

This is because it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear.

Source: Read Full Article