Whether you’ve had a “severe cold” this winter or have recently struggled with a cough that doesn’t stop, it’s natural to wonder if you may have had kovid-19 without being aware of it. Especially now that infectious disease experts say the virus was probably already spreading before cities began introducing quarantines and before measures were in place to curb the spread of the virus.
"As time goes on, it has become clear that this is a virus that has spread throughout the world, especially in more populated areas, than we thought," said Dr. William Schaffner, a specialist in infectious diseases.
Could you have gotten kovid-19 without knowing it? It's possible.
“Most people who have coronavirus have milder cases of infection and it is indistinguishable from the common cold or flu,” explains infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, of the Jones Hopkins Center for Health Safety.
In addition, some people have no symptoms at all - up to 40 percent of infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Unfortunately, there is no way to determine with absolute certainty whether the disease you faced last winter was covid-19 or if you had an asymptomatic case recently.
Experts say that some signs may be signals that you may have already had kovid-19.
You had a "severe cold"
At the beginning of the pandemic, people believed that kovid-19 appeared in some countries long before February or March. New research from the University of Texas suggests otherwise.
The researchers analyzed throat swabs taken last winter from people suspected of having the flu. These swabs were taken in Wuhan, China, and Seattle, Washington.
The researchers found that for every two cases of flu, there was one case of kovida-19. As a result, they believe that kovid-19 probably arrived in the United States around Christmas.
Without a test, it was difficult to distinguish a cold from a mild form of kovid-19, depending on what symptoms you have, he says, but a cold usually does not cause shortness of breath, severe headaches or gastrointestinal symptoms, which kovid-19 can cause.
You have lost your sense of taste or smell
Loss of these senses is one of the symptoms of kovida-19. Although this symptom does not occur in everyone, Dr. Adalja points out that it is now firmly connected with the new coronavirus.
It is important to know that it is possible to temporarily lose these senses during other respiratory conditions, such as colds, flu, sinus infections or even during seasonal allergies.
But experts point out that this symptom, even after recovery from kovida-19, can last for months in some people.
Unexplained hair loss
Although this symptom has not been widely studied, many people who have recovered from the coronavirus report problems with hair loss.
"It is unlikely that you would simply lose more hair than usual without having other symptoms of kovid-19, such as cough or fever," says Dr. Adalja.
It is also important to note that hair loss can occur due to stress, he says, and we all know that the pandemic brought a large amount of stress.
You run out of breath
A study published in the journal JAMA found that people with coronavirus can feel the effects of the virus, including shortness of breath. It is not entirely clear why this occurs or how long it can last, but it is probably due to pneumonia.
"This is one of the known long-term effects in people diagnosed with covid-19," says Dr. Schaffner.
Persistent cough
Prolonged cough is another symptom that the participants of the JAMA study talked about. The cough is often dry, which means that no mucus appears with it, says Dr. Adalja.
This is a fairly common symptom. CDC data found that 43 percent of people who had covid-19 still coughed 14 to 21 days after receiving a positive virus test.
Constant fatigue
According to the JAMA study, this is one of the most common long-term symptoms after a person gets over kovid-19. This was also shown by the research which revealed that 53% of the patients said that they were fighting fatigue even 60 days after they first felt the symptoms of the virus.
"We see some people who had a mild form of the disease, and who still felt tired for a while," says Dr. Adalja, adding that it is not completely clear at the moment why this is happening.
It can be the way a person's immune system reacts to the virus, or simply the way the virus acts in the body.
Keep in mind that fatigue is indeed a common problem and can be a sign of many different health problems, including, of course, insufficient sleep.
Other causes
Of course, there are plenty of other complications that experts may not even know about.
If you feel bad and your symptoms are permanent, Dr. Schaffner says that it is a good idea to be examined by a doctor, regardless of whether you think it is related to kovid-19 or not, writes Prevention.
Although all of these signs could be an indication that you have had kovid-19, they can also be caused by other diseases.
"It's certainly known that prolonged cough and fatigue can be the result of the flu - just because you have them doesn't mean you've had covid-19," says Dr. Schaffner.
In any case, it is important to continue practicing preventive methods, such as wearing a mask, washing your hands regularly and maintaining the prescribed physical distance to protect yourself and others.
Thank you, and yes we just have to follow all the guidelines you stated especially washing our hands and wearing mask. Keep safe dear.