List of Coronavirus Symptoms

When the coronavirus first began to spread, there were three main symptoms the public was told to look out for: cough, fever, and difficulty breathing. Now there are other symptoms experts have added to the list.

Even though there is a general list, everybody does not have the same symptoms. Also, some of those symptoms could exist that have nothing to do with coronavirus. It is also possible for a person to have COVID-19 with minimal or even no symptoms at all.

No matter which symptoms the coronavirus has, they won't appear immediately. It takes from 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus before any symptom will appear. That's the reason the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises a 14-day quarantine period for people who might have been exposed to the virus. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health say the median time for symptoms to show up could be about five days.

A common question is "Can a person have COVID-19 without any symptoms at all?" The answer is "Yes, some people who are infected might not develop any symptoms or feel sick at all."

The CDC has identified more symptoms than were first announced. Dr. Eric Cioe-Pena, an emergency physician and director of global health at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York, says even though respiratory symptoms are the most obvious, there are other symptoms to be aware of.

Dr. Cloe-Pena agrees that the coronavirus can cause a range of symptoms from mild illness to pneumonia.

Every cough is not a sign that a person is infected with COVID-19. Everybody coughs from time to time. It is embarrassing to cough in public these days. People start looking at the person who coughs, and some people leave the area. Not all infected people have a cough. From 59 to 82 percent of those affected do have a cough.

Coughing can be triggered by smoke, scents, air pollution, asthma, acid reflux, post-nasal drip, lung tumors, heart failure, irritants, foreign particles, and some medications such as ACE inhibitors. A cough can be the result of the common cold, the flu, acute bronchitis, pneumonia, pertussis, or tuberculosis. Do not think that you have COVID-19 just because you have a cough.

Having a high temperature is a symptom of COVID-19, but it doesn't mean that everyone with a fever is infected with the virus.

Many medical conditions could cause a fever. A high temperature exists when a person has a common cold and the flu. So, what is the normal range for the body's temperature? The range has changed over the years. The normal range used to be 97.5° F or 98.6° F. The CDC has set the normal range of the body temperature to be at 100.4° F.

It is possible to be infected with the coronavirus and have no fever at all or a very mild one in the first few days. However, 83 to 99 percent of people with the infection do have a fever. With that high percentage, it is no wonder fever is considered to be one of the main symptoms.

Difficulty in breathing or having shortness of breath occurs in 31 to 40 percent of people diagnosed with COVID-19. However, there are many other conditions that can make someone experience shortness of breath.

Lung conditions such as asthma, emphysema, and pneumonia can cause a person to have a breathing problem

Everybody knows that headaches can be caused by a lot of things that range from stress to lack of sleep. Some people who have been affected by the coronavirus reported they had headaches. That doesn't mean just because you have a headache, you have the virus. People were having headaches long before the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to medical and health experts, chills are symptoms of the coronavirus. A person with chills will not be able to get warm no matter how high the thermostat is set. Sometimes a high fever and repeated shaking accompany the chills.

Chills come about when some people have the flu. Don't think you have COVID-19 just because you feel cold and can't get warm.

Some people have had muscle pain and body aches long before the coronavirus pandemic. There are reasons for body aches that do not mean a person has been infected. It could mean bad posture or a lack of exercise.

It is not unusual for a person to have a sore throat. People should not conclude they are infected with COVID-19 just because they have a sore or a scratchy throat. The coronavirus is a respiratory infection that usually enters the body through the mouth and the nose. This will give people a sore throat.

There could be other reasons for having a sore throat. Those reasons might have nothing to do with the coronavirus.

Some people who were tested positive for COVID-19 said they lost their taste for food. This is called dysgeusia and has been added to the CDC's list of symptoms.

This should be an easy symptom to identify for people who love to eat.

Unusual loss or change in smell is also a symptom of the coronavirus. The medical term, anosmia, has been added to the CDC’s list of symptoms after many COVID-19 patients reported a recent change in their sense of smell.

Not many people who have been affected with COVID-19 have reported having diarrhea. That might be a symptom, according to some recent reports.

Reports show that 44 to 70 percent of people with the coronavirus have experienced fatigue.

There are other symptoms some people have reported. These are not talked about much. They include persistent pain or pressure in the chest, sleeping more than usual, being confused, and having bluish lips and face.

Some people have experienced most of the above symptoms. Some people have had a few of them. The symptoms were mild at first. With some patients, the symptoms became increasingly more obvious over five to seven days.

It is important to know that the symptoms are not the same in everyone. In fact, they can vary a great deal from person to person.