Covid 19: Signs, Symptoms, Complications and Diagnosis
People of all ages who experience fever and/or cough associated with difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, or loss of speech or movement should seek medical care immediately. If possible, call your healthcare provider, hotline, or health facility first, so you can be directed to the right clinic.
Three common clusters of symptoms have been identified:
- Among those who develop symptoms, most (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing hospital treatment.
- About 15% become seriously ill and require oxygen.
- Around 5% become critically ill and need intensive care.
Bifurcation of the disease: Mild, moderate, and severe symptoms
Vulnerable population
Anyone can get sick with COVID-19 and become seriously ill or die at any age.
The time from exposure to COVID-19 to the moment when symptoms begin is, on average, 5-6 days and can range from 1-14 days. Therefore, people who have been exposed to the virus are advised to remain at home and stay away from others, for 14 days, in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
Testing
Anyone with symptoms should be tested, wherever possible (suspect cases). People who do not have symptoms but have had close contact with someone who is, or may be, infected (primary contacts) must also consider testing. While a person is waiting for test results, they should remain isolated from others.
There is currently no evidence which suggests that newer variants are missed by these tests.
- Temperature (between 97F to 99F) and Oxygen saturation (above 94%) to monitor general wellbeing and lung function
- Due to the potential ability of the virus to severly impair several vital organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys
- Values of Complete Blood Count, Coagulation studies, Inflammatory mediator indicate prognoisis of the disease
- Coagulation Studies, AST, ALT levels indicate liver function
- Creatine Kinase indicates Kidney Function
- Chest -ray is used for diagnosis of Pneumonia