Mild, Moderate and Severe Symptoms of the Novel Coronavirus

The increasing number of novel coronavirus cases in India is giving sleepless nights to every individual. 

People have started feeling insecure about their health, fearing they could be the next one down with the deadly virus. 

If day by day your fear for coronavirus is increasing, limit your access to social media and news, share joy and satisfaction with others and remain busy with your work, and you will be able to build up a positive perception.

 What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses consist of a large family of viruses that have spread over the whole world and are responsible for causing respiratory ailments in both humans as well as animals. The infection is spread generally in sinuses, upper throat or nose.The common symptoms of COVID-19 are cough and fever.

How does Coronavirus Spread?

A proper investigation of Coronavirus is still happening, however, generally the coronavirus in humans is spread via person-to-person contact. Just as it happens in flu and cold, an individual becomes sick by getting in close contact with an infected individual. The respiratory droplets which are created by an infected individual while sneezing or coughing or by touching any infected surface, is responsible for spreading the virus.

One more thing is to have a very clear and correct understanding of mild,  moderate and severe symptoms of the virus. When you are able to differentiate between the real symptoms and the ones similar to coronavirus, you would be able to prevent yourself and your dear ones from the mental and physical struggle. 

What you need to understand about symptoms of coronavirus disease?

Until now, you must have heard a lot about the common symptoms of COVID-19 or coronavirus disease from people close to you. 

However, to avoid any sort of confusion, first and foremost, learn that the coronavirus manifests differently in different people, depending on their age or whether they possess any underlying medical conditions.

Note that the coronavirus symptoms can be defined in several forms, such as mild, moderate and severe, based on how the virus manifests itself during the different stages of the infection. 

Also, read Does Your Existing Health Insurance Policy Cover Coronavirus (COVID-19) Disease

Let’s discuss different symptoms forms of coronavirus diseases –

Mild - 

According to statistics, 80% of coronavirus cases are mild. It includes:

    • Fever
    • Respiratory symptoms like a dry cough
    • Body aches 

Note that the fever might take a few days period to show. A mild infection may not necessarily urge you to go to a hospital. At this stage, most of the cases can be cured.

Senior citizens and people who have underlying medical conditions must take proper care of themselves as this mild infection may progress to show moderate symptoms with the progressing time.

Moderate - 

When it comes to moderate cases of coronavirus infection, the symptoms present include:

• Fever about 100 degrees
• Coughing
• Chills 
• Shortness of breath

At this stage, hospitalization is quite unlikely unless the patient has massive difficulty in breathing or feels dehydrated. Note that dehydration can be identified with a dry mouth, dry skin or dizziness. 

It is important to note that moderate stages of the coronavirus or COVID-19 infection also develop into a mild case of pneumonia a few times. In a case like such, pneumonia may result in a stage when the infected patient might require respiratory aid. Patients in this stage are also susceptible to secondary bacterial infections.

Severe - 

1 in 5 patients infected with coronavirus disease reaches the stage where they experience severe symptoms.

Note that where about 14% of patients are dependent on respiratory support, 6% go into septic shock. Septic shock can be defined as a state of a significant drop in blood pressure that may end in strokes, heart and lung failure, thereby leading to death. 

The coronavirus infection can worsen to these severe symptoms anywhere in between a period of few hours to several days. In many cases, it manifests in the form of a severe form of pneumonia.

How to Stay Protected from Coronavirus?

You can follow the below mentioned tips to know best way of protecting yourself from contracting Coronavirus:

• Refrain from getting into close contact with individuals who are sick.
• Make sure that you are washing your hands frequently with water and soap. Do this exercise for at least 20 seconds at a time. In case, there is an unavailability of soap and water, then you can also use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• Properly disinfect and clean surfaces and objects that are touched frequently.
• Do not touch your face including nose, mouth and eyes with dirty hands (unwashed).
• Do not move out of your house unless absolutely necessary (moreover also avoid sending children to school till things get back to normal).
• While coughing or sneezing cover yourself with a tissue, afterwards discard the tissue and sanitize your hands. In case, you are not carrying a tissue, then sneeze or cough into your upper sleeves, but do not make use of your hands.

Also Read

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Conclusion 

Your concern regarding your health, especially regarding coronavirus infection is absolutely justified. 

However, remember to understand and observe coronavirus symptoms carefully before reaching a conclusion.

You may also like to read Social Distancing Guidelines to Fight Coronavirus in India

Let us learn more about covid-19 health insurance