CDC adds six new possible COVID-19 symptoms

The United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added six new symptoms to its list of possible signs of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by  coronavirus.

Before now, the CDC only noted fever, cough and shortness of breath as symptoms.

But in an updatedlist, the agency included chills, repeated shaking, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell while adding difficulty in breathing to the “shortness of breath.”

“People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. These symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus,” it wrote.

• Fever

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Chills

• Repeated shaking with chills

• Muscle pain

• Headache

• Sore throat

• New loss of taste or smell

The update comes after World Health Organisation (WHO) had stated that symptoms like fever, tiredness, and dry cough are common but some may have aches, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and diarrhoea.

While these symptoms are usually said to be mild and begin gradually among some patients, others may become infected but neither develop any symptoms nor feel unwell.

It is estimated that about 80 percent of people recover from the disease without needing special treatment.

It is also understood that one out of every six people who get COVID-19 becomes seriously ill with breathing difficulty.

However, older people and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, have been found to be more likely to develop serious illness.