A team of scientists from the United Kingdom has published an article in the British Medical Journal where they ask the country’s health authorities to expand the official list of symptoms of Covid-19, which involve carrying out a diagnostic test.
The publication recalls that the British National Health Service (NHS) currently only mentions three official symptoms of covid: fever, cough and changes in taste or smell. A list of signs that hasn’t been updated in months. Thus, the signatories ask that the clinical picture be expanded because if not, the country could “overlook or delay the identification of many Covid cases.” In addition, this request is made at a time when young people are the ones who are getting the most infection and who may register different symptoms. As Calum Semple, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), explained to the BBC.
In the article published in the British Medical Journal, the signatories echo the lists of symptoms that organizations such as the WHO and CDC and scientific studies contemplate. In the latter case, the results of a study carried out in Arizona (USA) stand out, which revealed the following symptoms in the early stages of the disease: sore throat (19%), headache (16%), cough (13 %), runny nose or cold-like symptoms (12%), and fatigue (12%).
The objective is to urge local health authorities not only to consider cough, fever and changes in smell and taste. However, the researchers also admitted that expanding the list would result in an increase in the demand for PCR and antigen tests, but they point out that the benefit of detecting cases at an early stage is key, especially at a time when the Delta variant it is making the accumulated incidence grow.
CDC Covid-19 Symptom List
1. Fever or chills
2. Cough
3. Difficulty breathing (feeling short of breath)
4. Fatigue
5. Muscle and body aches
6. Headache
7. Recent loss of smell or taste
8. Sore throat
9. Congestion or runny nose
10. Nausea or vomiting
11. Diarrhea
WHO Covid-19 symptom list
1. Fever
2. Dry cough
3. Tiredness
4. Loss of taste or smell
5. Nasal congestion
6. Conjunctivitis (eye redness)
7. Sore throat
8. Headache
9. Muscle or joint pain
10. Different types of skin rashes
11. Nausea or vomiting
12. Diarrhea
13. Chills or vertigo
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