COVID-19 symptoms usually appear in this order

By now, most of us are well aware of the symptoms of COVID-19. Even so, the disease remains a mystery and affects people in a variety of ways.

A recent study provides a better understanding of how the virus works and provides a timetable of the most common symptoms and their order in which to follow for the majority of people with the disease.

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The study, conducted at the University of Southern California, was able to determine the general order in which COVID-19 symptoms appear by analyzing data from over 55,000 confirmed cases. These data were obtained from China and then compared to influenza cases, with the researchers noting the differences and the progression of both diseases.

While COVID-19 remains very variable, it usually starts with a fever. Later on, people develop a cough and muscle pain. Less common symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea appear last.

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It is still very difficult to identify the two diseases in real life, but the fever plays an important role. In COVID-19, it’s usually the first symptom to appear, while in Flus it is later. “The study found that people with seasonal flu were more likely to develop a cough before the onset of the fever,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told Healthline

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When people feel they have a fever, isolating and monitoring their symptoms is important. COVID-19 is much more contagious than the flu, so it is very important for people to isolate themselves from other people.

Studies like this one paint a more accurate picture of COVID-19 and give people more tools to identify and differentiate it from a flu or cold. They are also helping health professionals and workers develop better systems to identify COVID-19 and provide guidelines for isolating people who are critical to preventing the virus from spreading.