4 of the Most Baffling Covid-19 Symptoms
Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, statements by many doctors and scientists have been about how insidious this virus truly is. It kills more older individuals, but no one of any age is immune. It strikes down seemingly healthy people who were by no means immunocompromised.
There was an early consensus about some symptoms, but then new ones emerged. The CDC has kept itself busy listing new potential symptoms for which the public should be on the lookout.
While there is still widespread hope regarding vaccine development, it is not clear when the public can expect that to occur. In the meantime, scientists and medical experts are grappling with these baffling Covid-19 symptoms.
Pediatric Multisymptom Inflammatory Syndrome
New York and New Jersey have emerged as coronavirus hotspots. New York has seen upwards of 350,000 cases now, and over 23,000 deaths. Pediatric multisymptom inflammatory syndrome is the given name for a condition in kids ages 4-12 that doctors see primarily in this part of the country.
While this syndrome is certainly coronavirus-related, medical professionals aren’t sure about why some children have it, and others don’t. They are looking at genetic as well as environmental factors, but have nothing conclusive yet.
Symptoms include enlarged coronary arteries, reddened tongues, circulatory issues, rashes, and red eyes. It seems to be somewhat similar to Kawasaki disease.
Dangerous Blood Clots
Blood clots are another name for a thrombus. It’s what happens when blood coagulates in hemostasis. In other words, a plug of red blood cells and aggregated platelets forms, and a mesh of cross-linked fibrin protein joins it.
Blood clots are serious business, and can potentially threaten your life. When a clot forms, it doesn’t always go away on its own. This leads to heart attacks or strokes.
Some coronavirus-exposed patients are having strokes related to blood clots. What’s strange, though, is with some of them, these incidents occur weeks after they seem to be over the worst symptoms.
Doctors see tiny clots that can damage tissue and larger ones that could be immediately life-
threatening. Covid-19 was first thought of primarily as a respiratory infection, but these troubling new symptoms are forcing medical professionals to reevaluate their initial thinking and treatments.
Long Tail Coronavirus
Doctors have another puzzle with the time length some individuals combat the virus. Some turn up Covid-19-positive, and their symptoms remain mild across the board. They seem to be over it in two weeks or so, and they’re never in any significant discomfort.
Others are miserable, dealing with fever, aches, severe respiratory distress, and a plethora of other symptoms. This version, the so-called “long tail coronavirus,” can last for months. It seems as though the individual who contracts it is struggling for their very life, and unfortunately, the virus does claim some of these sufferers in the end.
It is unclear why some people who show symptoms get over it quickly while others waste away from it for weeks and months. Even when they have mostly recovered, they still deal with nasal congestion, aching muscles, and migraine-like headaches.
Covid Toes
Yet another strange new coronavirus symptom is Covid toes. This is a skin ailment where the toes of the individual infected burn, itch, or swell. They also often turn deep red or various purple shades.
What’s strange about this is that most dermatologists agree that pandemics, where viral ailments are the most common symptoms, don’t usually manifest themselves as skin conditions. It’s strange, and it’s an additional way that some individuals learn they are Covid-19-positive.
The only silver lining with Covid toes is that this condition does seem to go away in time. There haven’t been any cases of anyone losing toes or permanent damage from this particular symptom.
Some people develop these toe lesions, but they don’t experience any of the respiratory problems or other issues associated with Covid-19. Those in this group can count themselves as relatively lucky.
This pandemic is an unprecedented public health emergency. The Spanish flu was devastating, but it didn’t show as many perplexing symptoms as Covid-19. Part of what’s so intimidating about this virus is that it attacks the body in so many different ways, and no age group, ethnicity, gender, or other demographic seems to be immune.
If you exhibit any of the symptoms this article described, or see these symptoms in someone you know, don’t hesitate to get yourself checked out by qualified medical professionals. It is not hyperbolic to say that wasting time could prove fatal.