COVID-19 Symptoms

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

A significant part of all people infected with the novel coronavirus do not develop symptoms at all. People infected with COVID-19 may  have symptoms similar to those of influenza. As a matter of fact, in most cases it is impossible to tell whether a person is infected with the novel coronavirus or has a respiratory disease without laboratory testing.

The most common symptoms of the disease are fever, fatigue, trouble breathing, dry cough. Muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell have also been reported.

One in six confirmed patients develops a severe illness characterized by difficulty breathing. In rare cases, this illness may lead to acute pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), renal failure, and can be fatal.

The mortality rate of COVID-19 is estimated at 2% of all patients, but information from various countries is sometimes inconsistent. Note that since many carriers are asymptomatic (and are therefore untested), it is assumed that the mortality rate of those who were infected with the coronavirus is smaller.