As COVID-19 continues to disrupt our daily lives and businesses, people's attention has shifted to the symptoms of the novel virus.
If you're thinking one of them involves sneezing, you're wrong. Turns out, that is not the case. So stop sneeze shaming.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the symptoms are slightly different when compared with the common cold, flu, and allergies.
Know the difference.
The novel coronavirus primarily infect the lungs and causes several symptoms such as a dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
We've got you covered when comparing the COVID-19 virus with other contagious respiratory illnesses and allergies through this handy chart by Urgent Care Kids.
While runny nose is at times attributed to the COVID-19 as a symptom, it's not likely to be a cause of concern.
Having diarrhea is a rare symptom, but it can be a hint that you've probably been infected according to several preliminary findings. Furthermore, COVID-19 is also known to transmit through poop.
That said, if you feel that you could possibly infected after visiting areas where the pandemic was severe, it's important to get yourself checked.
When do the symptoms show?
According to a study conducted and published on Annals of Internal Medicine, the symptoms of COVID-19 typically begin to show five days after a person has contracted the virus.
98 percent of patients started showing signs of the virus between 11 to 12 days while only one percent began developing the symptoms after two-weeks.
40 percent of the 181 individuals studied began developing fluids in their lungs.
How severe are the COVID-19 cases?
According to China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, some 80 percent of the cases have been reported as mild.
Yet, those who've reported to have contracted the virus said it's different than suffering from the common cold or flu.
"COVID-19 causes more severe disease than seasonal influenza," World Health Organization's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on March 3, 2020.
Should you be worried?
As of the date of writing this post, March 13, the number of cases worldwide is at 128,343 while 4,720 deaths have been reported. A huge chunk of deaths occurred in China itself.
The number of people who've recovered continues to rise to 68,324. If you were to do the math, the global death rate of the virus is at 3.6 percent.
However, if we were to exclude China, the epicentre of the virus, the death rate drops to 1.5 percent.
Here's how to stay safe.
So long as you practise these safety measures below, the chances of you contracting COVID-19 drops significantly.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wear a face mask if you're not feeling well to prevent spreading diseases to others.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
By the way, here's a handy COVID-19 tracker which reports the cases in real-time.
Cover image sourced and modified from iStock.