Potential symptoms for COVID-19 run the gamut. As experts scurry to learn more about the new virus, they have announced different symptoms that may be telling.
However, new research out this week found that among patients who are experiencing symptoms, nearly all of them had at one or more of the three most common symptoms of the virus.
The research, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, looked at data from 164 patients who were sick between January and April.
“U.S. COVID-19 patients report a wide range of symptoms across a spectrum of illness severity; these findings can inform clinical case definitions or testing guidance to aid prompt recognition to slow the spread of COVID-19,” according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study found that 96% of the patients reported having a fever, cough or shortness of breath. And about 45% of the respondents, asked about a wide range of symptoms, reported having all three symptoms.
The report looked at symptomatic patients only with a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19. Overall, a cough was the most common symptom, with 84% of the people reporting it as a symptom. The CDC notes that these results are not generalizable, since they represent a set number of cases during a specific time frame. However, the data may help medical professionals better advise who ought to be tested.
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