Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 3-20-20

Health
Know The Symptoms Of COVID-19
As testing for COVID-19 ex- pands, cases are being picked up across the U.S., confirming what disease experts have predicted: that the virus has been here for some time and is making people sick.
That can make the occa- sional cough or sneeze suspi- cious. Is this COVID-19? How would you know if you have it?
The most detailed break- down of symptoms of the disease comes from a recent World Health Organization analysis of more than 55,000 confirmed cases in China. Here are the most common symptoms and the percentage of people who had them:
• Fever: 88%
• Dry cough: 68% • Fatigue: 38%
• Coughing up sputum, or thick phlegm, from the lungs: 33%
• Shortness of breath: 19% • Bone or joint pain: 15%
• Sore throat: 14%
• Headache: 14%
• Chills: 11%
• Nausea or vomiting: 5%
• Stuffy nose: 5%
• Diarrhea: 4%
• Coughing up blood: 1%
• Swollen eyes: 1% COVID-19 is a lower respira-
tory tract infection, which means that most of the symptoms are felt in the chest and lungs. That’s different from colds that bring on an upper respiratory tract in- fection, where you get a runny nose and sinus congestion. Those symptoms seem to be mostly absent for people with COVID-19, though they’re not unheard of.
The good news is that in China, most people who have gotten sick -- about 80% -- have
had mild to moderate symp- toms.
Given that, doctors feel that most people in the U.S. will be able to manage their symptoms at home.
If you start to show symp- toms, call your doctor's office. Don’t go there before calling -- that might spread the infection around the doctor’s office. They may want to talk to you on the phone in a telemedicine visit.
The average time it takes people to get sick after being ex- posed to the virus is about 5 days. Some people get sick faster, just a day after being ex- posed, while others don’t fall ill for about 2 weeks, which is why the U.S. has quarantined people for 14 days.
In a recent press briefing, Nancy Messonnier, MD, di- rector of the CDCs National Cen- ter for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said the virus spreads easily from person
to person and that no one has immunity against it because it is new.
“Based on this, it’s fair to say that as the trajectory of the out- break continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time, either this year or next, be exposed to this virus and many will get sick. We do not expect most people to de- velop serious illness,” she said.
She advised taking everyday precautions:
• Avoid people who are sick. • Wash your hands often.
• Avoid touching surfaces in
public places (like elevator but- tons and door handles).
• Avoid crowds.
The CDC and the State De- partment are also urging Ameri- cans to avoid cruise ships for the duration of the epidemic, espe- cially if you are at high risk for serious illness. People at high risk should not fly unless it is necessary.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-B