Coronavirus: The four symptoms of COVID-19 that may appear before a cough and fever

We are well into the 10th month of the ‘year of the pandemic’, as the novel coronavirus continues to claim lives and spread at an alarming rate across the globe. While initially it was thought of as a pneumonia-like illness as it displayed all telltale signs of a respiratory condition, it has been well-established by now that COVID-19 can impact the entire body from head-to-toe. As people of different ages, ethnicities and health conditions continue to contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it is clear that the virus manifests in completely bizarre ways.

While a typical coronavirus infection may begin with a scratchy throat, fever and unexplained fatigue, it isn’t always the case. More and more people are reporting unique symptoms of the illness including a thunderclap headache and loss of smell and/or taste, before testing positive. These signs point to the fact that COVID-19 is far from the respiratory illness it was first understood to be and attacks the whole nervous system in some COVID-19 patients.

According to a recent study published in the Annals of Neurology, an increasing number of patients are reporting neurological symptoms including headaches, dizziness, strokes and a decrease in alertness, before other hallmarks of COVID-19 like a dry cough, itchy throat or even fever. As per the researchers of the study, patients also noted other neurological signs of the disease including loss of smell and taste, difficulty in concentrating and seizures.

To conduct the study, the researchers analyzed 19 coronavirus patients at Northwestern Medicine to understand the occurrence of neurological signs of the disease, before the appearance of more commonly known symptoms of COVID-19. The lead author of the study Igor Koralnik, who is the professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said, “It's important for the general public and physicians to be aware of this, because a SARS-CoV-2 infection may present with neurological symptoms initially before any fever, cough or respiratory problems occur.”

While there may be a steady decline in new coronavirus cases in India for the past few weeks, a steep rise has been observed in certain states including Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. With the death toll of the nation reaching 103,600, medical experts and researchers across the globe are warning the nation of 'straying from scientific evidence' to show the statistics in a positive light. Recently, UK-based medical journal The Lancet also alerted India of refraining from presenting a more optimistic assessment by putting a 'too positive spin' on the data. The journal also questioned the quality of data of the country.