Day to day symptoms of how coronavirus progresses

• The novel corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic infected hundreds of thousands across the globe, and has taken a huge toll on lives and livelihoods.
  
  
• Most infected people report mild to moderate respiratory problems and recover without any special treatment.
  
  
• Here is a day-by-day account of how the COVID-19 infection can worsen in some cases with the associated symptoms during different stages of development.

Most cases of novel coronavirus (COPVID-19) recover after reporting mild to moderate respiratory discomforts. Many of the subjects contacting the infection might recover without any special treatment.

Some most common symptoms of COVID-19 infection noticed during the early stages of the disease include fever, dry cough, fatigue, difficulty in breathing, pains, sore throat, runny nose, nausea and diarrhea.

Findings of the study

Coronavirus can affect different people differently with respiratory discomforts being the major symptom. It could also start with fever. A recent study conducted at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University with 140 patients recorded the different patterns of symptoms in the affected individuals as the disease turns from bad to worse.

About 99% of the individuals developed high temperature. More than half of the subjects reported dry cough and fatigue. About one third experienced breathing difficulties and muscle pain.

Studies conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control say about 80% of the cases of COVID-19 are only mild and patients of this category recover very soon without much strain, effort, medication and pain. About 15% of the infected individuals develop serious ailments while about 5% of the subjects become critically serious with COVID-19.

Here is an outline of the symptoms noticed in the typical cases of COVID-19 infection when the disease worsens with every passing day.

Day-1

Infected individuals experience fever. Some other associated symptoms might be fatigue, dry cough, and muscle pains. In a day or two before the onset of the disease, a few might report diarrhea or nausea.

Day-2

Senior patients and those with preexisting medical conditions might experience breathing difficulties.

Day-7

Usually this is the average time when a patient infected with the new Coronavirus is admitted to a hospital, says the study conducted by the Wuhan University.

Day-8

By this time, the patients in whom the infection becomes severe develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Notably, ARDS occurs in people when there is a fluid collection found in the lungs. Most cases of ARDS can prove fatal. In case of COVID-19, about 15% of the patients enter this stage.

Day-10

If the disease worsens in the patients, the subjects might require admission to the ICU. At this stage, the patients might report pain in their abdomen and appetite loss. A small segment of the patients might die at this stage. The fatality rate of patients entering this stage is found to be 2%.

Day-17

On an average, those who recover from the COVID-19 disease get discharged from the hospital around this time.

What to know about COVID-19 illness

The first set of symptoms listed above might not become evident in all the cases of the novel Coronavirus infection. Lauren Ancel Meyers, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas at Austin says that most people infected with COVID-19 might not report any associated symptoms for about four to five days.

When the first set of symptoms manifest in the affected people, they might resemble the symptoms of pneumonia. However, there are some slight differences between how the general pneumonia develops and what happens with a COVID-19 patient.

Lakhani Paras Lakhani, a radiologist at Thomas Jefferson University says, "Pneumonia usually doesn't rapidly progress. Typically, most hospitals will treat with antibiotics and patients will stabilize and then start to get better."

On the other hand, the disease noted in the Coronavirus patients can worsen to become severe even when the subjects receive medication such as steroids and fluids.

In a case of novel coronavirus infection, a woman of 33 years developed serious illness after she was treated for three days in the hospital in Lanzhou.

What it required to save the world from COVID-19

There are proven ways to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 infection. To prevent you and your dear ones contacting the novel coronavirus infection, you must stay well-informed of the ways in which the newfound virus can spread. Wash your hands often with soap and water and do not touch your mouth, nose and eyes. Sanitizers with 60% alcohol can be effective in fighting the microbes.

Since the novel coronavirus infection primarily spreads through the droplets of saliva or other discharges from the affected person when the infected one coughs or sneezes, it is important that you take necessary precautions when someone sneezes or coughs in your vicinity.

At present, there is no proven treatment or vaccine that can work effectively against the novel coronavirus infection. There are researches happening worldwide at a rapid and intensive phase and the WHO is doing its best to explore a wide range of prevention, quarantine and mitigation options to fight the pandemic. However, sincere participation of the world community in every level is called for to save the world from the most challenging menace posed by COVID-19.

General advice to the public

When someone experiences the mild symptoms of COVID-19 listed here, it is necessary to go for self-isolation and seek medical advice through testing and referral. People experiencing fever, cough and breathing troubles must visit a doctor and get the required medical attention.

You may also call the helpline numbers given by the government to get the required assistance. The WHO advises the people to exercise the necessary caution and cooperate with the governments in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Since local and national authorities are better informed of the developments with regard to COVID-19, they are in a better position to advise you and the people in your area on how to stay protected from the dreaded epidemic.

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