Since the early months of this twin year, a lot has been said and spoken about Covid-19, for it has shaken the world with its effects! What started in a small town in China has now managed to make its way to every nook and corner of the world today. The entire world began to observe lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Every infectious virus can be deadly, but this particular one has caused havoc in the lives of people worldwide due to very little knowledge known about it and no vaccine formulated yet to treat it. For those who don’t know, there’s a large family of coronaviruses that are known to infect both humans as well as animals. These viruses are known to cause respiratory infections in the body. While SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) are already known coronaviruses to us, the latest one to be discovered is the COVID-19.
We can say that Covid-19 is the name of the infectious disease which is caused by the latest coronavirus. This virus was unknown to the world until it caused an outbreak in Wuhan, China and it has been declared as a pandemic as it has affected the majority number of countries worldwide. Any virus, infection, disease, or any health condition for that matter is diagnosed based on the nature of symptoms that are surfacing on a particular person, isn’t it? If the people are aware of the list of the most common symptoms, then they can identify the signs of whether or not they have contracted the virus or disease and then approach the doctor for further help and diagnosis. And in the case of Covid-19, the same approach was followed. Due to very little knowledge about the virus, the first step that scientists and health experts did was to understand how does the virus spread and what are the symptoms of Covid-19. Because only after knowing these, they can then start on the path to find a vaccine for the virus.
Symptoms Of Covid-19
The world health statistics says that the most recorded symptoms of Covid-19 are tiredness, dry cough, and fever. Some other symptoms include headache, diarrhea, sore throat, nasal congestion, conjunctivitis, pains and aches, loss of taste and smell, etc. Most of these symptoms start on a mild note and then they develop more gradually. And nearly 80% of Covid-19 positive tested patients recover without having to take any kind of hospital treatment.
Stats also talk about how every single out of five Covid-19 positive patients develops difficulty in breathing. Also, older people are likely to suffer more. Even people who already have certain medical health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, lung problems are more likely to develop more serious health problems. If a person develops any of these, it is advised to seek some sort of medical attention immediately. This way the patient will be directed to the right professional assistance.
Can Mild Covid-19 Symptoms Turn Serious?
Yes, many health experts have warned about how mild symptoms have the potential to rapidly escalate to something serious or even turn into life-threatening incidents. If you ask how is this possible, allow us to explain it to you in simple words—this particular Covid-19 condition can sprout mild symptoms inside an individual and he or she can recover in a matter of just a few days of time. He or she then has the potential of falling ill after 7 or 10 days post-recovery which then accounts for only partial recovery. So, when this person falls ill again for the second time after recovery from Covid-19 disease, this occurrence of symptoms again might cause dysregulation in the immune system or what health experts term as a cytokine storm. The word cytokine here talks about the body’s immune system’s overreaction. This will cause complications in the respiratory system.
For example, when the Covid-19 virus gets into the lungs of the body, it triggers the immune system which tends to respond. The immune system does so by gathering immune cells and directing it towards the lungs to fight the virus that has entered. This is what is commonly termed as inflammation.
Now what happens is that in some of them, the immune system tends to overreact, it activated more than the required number of immune cells and causes a condition of hyper-inflammation which can be considered as fatal. For example, in some this virus triggers as the asymptomatic or common cold. This can further progress onto what can be termed as pneumonia and we all know that pneumonia can make people sick. All of this or some of this that starts on a mild note can turn into something severe and cause a permanent impact on the normal functioning of lungs.
Health experts also talk about how some Covid-19 infected people develop what docs call “silent hypoxia.” This is a condition where the level of blood oxygen drop but the person doesn’t face any breathing difficulties.
The Journey From Mild To Severe
If we look at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) symptoms can be noticed anywhere between 2-14 days since being exposed to the coronavirus. Most of these symptoms include:
- Cough
- Chills
- Fever
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Loss of smell or taste
- Muscle pain
- Difficulty in breathing or feeling short of breath
Health experts also proclaim that there is no one particular guideline that they can ask the people to follow as the days are passing by, the virus is showing several atypical presentations. The development of symptoms from mild to severe is however on a rise these days. And the best way to keep oneself safe from Covid-19 is by practicing the national health guidelines that have been designed to curb the spread of Covid-19 and stay safe. Practice social distancing, wear masks, wash and sanitize hands properly, follow government rules, and stay safe!