As COVID-19 cases continue to spike amid what is being called a second strain of the virus, experts share that people need to be aware of some new, lesser-known symptoms that are beginning to show up in many patients.
Dr Gitali Bhagawati, consultant and head, department of microbiology and infection control, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital told how the “new variants including UK variants, double mutant variants are spreading faster hence diversity in symptoms is also apparent”.
“They are highly infectious and all age groups are at the same level of risk. As far as symptoms are concerned high to low-grade fever, cough, cold, breathing difficulty, running nose, body ache, loss of taste and smell were already prevailing. But symptoms like dry mouth, non-salivation, GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms and headache are the symptoms which are now being more talked about,” she said. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reinstated guidance recently stated that direct contact with a sick person or through airborne transmission remains the primary cause of coronavirus’ spread.
The known symptoms identified by the global researchers are fever, cough, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, repeated shaking with chills muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, according to CDC.