Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19)
The key symptoms of Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19) include fever (high body temperature), dry cough, fatigue, expectoration and shortness of breath. Here is a table for the percentage of the most common symptoms of COVID 19.
| Typical Symptoms | Common in Cases (percentage) |
| Fever | 87.9% |
| Dry Cough | 67.7% |
| Fatigue | 38.1% |
| Expectoration (Sputum Production) | 33.4% |
| Dyspnea (Breathing Difficulty) | 18.6% |
| Arthralgia or Myalgia | 14.8% |
| Sore Throat | 13.9% |
| Headache | 13.6% |
| Chills | 11.4% |
| Nausea or vomiting | 5% |
| Nasal congestion | 4.8% |
| Hemoptysis (coughing up blood) | 0.9% |
Fever is the most common symptom of Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19). In most cases, it is the first symptom and followed by a dry cough.
In differential diagnosis, its symptomatology is different from a common cold. Generally, common cold starts with running nose and sneezing and then followed by other symptoms. COVID 19 starts with fever and followed by a dry cough and other symptoms. It shows mild symptoms in about 80% of cases in the first week. After a week, it can cause shortness of breath and many patients may require hospitalization.
So, runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat are uncommon symptoms of COVID-19 infection.
Around 80% of cases show mild symptoms and recover at home. The fatality risk increases with old age.
| Mild (Recover at home) | 80.9% of cases |
| Severe (pneumonia) | 13.8% of cases |
| Critical (respiratory failure or organ failure and septic shock) | 4.7% of cases |
| Fatal (death) | 2% of cases |
Also Read:
References
- WHO China Report (20 Feb. 2020).
- Chinese Journal of Epidemiology (17 Feb. 2020).
