A lot is being talked about this deadliest of all diseases that have struck the globe without warning. Truth be told, with the coronavirus effects becoming known, there is more anxiety than calm, more rumors than facts. This is why we present here a realistic picture of what Coronavirus is all about and what coronavirus symptoms to expect if at all, God forbid, you get caught in its fangs.
Coronavirus Symptoms: How to Know if You’ve Contracted Them?
COVID-19 is more specifically a disease caused by the Novel Coronavirus. A healthy person is likely to contract the disease via droplets of cough, sneeze, or breath from a person who’s already been infected with the same virus. Now, these droplets may either be present in the air or, more often, stick to physical surfaces like countertops, floors, walls, knobs, handles, electronic gadgets, and the like.
If you happen to touch any of these surfaces and then with the same hand touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you’re likely to get infected. The virus gets a passage via these parts of the body to enter the mucous membranes in the throat. The body’s immune system may then start reacting and you may notice some early signs of the disease such as sore throat, fever, or dry cough. Note that sometimes the coronavirus effects may become noticeable in as late as 14 days.
What Happens Next?
The difference between coronavirus symptoms and those of the common flu is that Corona moves down the respiratory tract of the person. In this case, the virus infects the airway, including the mouth, nose, throat, and lungs. As such, COVID-19 is more likely to affect deeper parts of the body than a common cold virus would.
Once that happens, the lungs become swollen up which results in difficulty in breathing – one of the most vital signs to look out for whether or not you’ve been infected by Corona. While the common cold and other types of flu may only cause cough, sneeze, or fever, in the case of COVID-19, these symptoms extend to difficulty in breathing as well. It can be more dangerous when a corona infected person is a smoker.
This may generally result in pneumonia which is an infection of the air sacs inside the lungs. Also, while some people may only experience mild symptoms such as cough and/or fever, there are a few for whom the virus may take a severe turn. And, the more serious symptoms like shortness of breath may become noticeable only about 5-8 days after the other mild symptoms come into the light.
A few more days later, the virus may result in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome or ARDS. This can cause excessively fast breathing, rapid heart pounding, dizziness, and excessive sweating. With the subsequent damage of tissues and blood vessels in the lungs, it would become even more difficult for the person to breathe.
Summing Up
The key lies in not panicking but to take immediate action as soon as you observe any of the coronavirus symptoms. Prompt medical assistance may help save a precious life.