Eight symptoms which show you may have Covid

EXPERTS SHARE TELLTALE SIGNS YOU MIGHT HAVE THE VIRUS WITHOUT KNOWING

HEALTHCARE experts have shared eight tell-tale signs which could indicate you have had coronavirus without ever knowing.

They have warned these signs could be present in people who did not display the typical Covid-19 symptoms, including a new, continuous cough, a high temperature and a loss or change in sense of smell or taste.

To date, 4.3 million Brits have tested positive for Covid although the true picture is likely to be far higher.

Many may have contracted the infection before it escalated into a full-blown pandemic, and others will have carried it asymptomatically or with only very mild symptoms.

There are a few key things to look out for that can show you caught Covid over the last year.

Here are eight tell-tale signs that you may have suffered from the virus, and perhaps not even known that you had caught it.

Red eyes

The College of Optometrists said: “It is recognised that any upper respiratory tract infection may result in viral conjunctivitis as a secondary complication, and this is also the case with Covid.

“However, it is unlikely that a person would present with viral conjunctivitis secondary to Covid without other symptoms of fever or a continuous cough as conjunctivitis seems to be a late feature where is has occurred.”

A cough that sounds “different”

We all know that a persistent dry cough is one of the key symptoms of coronavirus.

But many have begun to describe a Covid cough as sounding different to one you may usually get.

The cough is persistent, harder to combat and, for smokers, will be different to a usual ‘smoker’s cough’. It is likely to last for at least half a day.

Brain fog

Thea Jourdan told The Daily Mail that she first thought she may have been infected when she got a tickle in her throat and a headache. The mum-of-three then began to experience brain fog. “Initially I felt exhausted, as if I was dragging myself through treacle and had no choice but to go to my bed. I had no meaningful cough and I wasn’t running a fever,” she said.

“But I had a peculiar sensation of something settling deep within my lungs, almost like breathing in talcum powder.”

Being hot to the touch

A high temperature is considered a fever when it reaches 37.7C (100F). Though numbers can vary for different people.

If you feel hot to the touch, especially on your chest or back, then you are likely to have this symptom.

Out of breath

If you’re suffering with a tight chest or difficulty breathing, it may be a sign you have coronavirus. Dyspnea – the term for when someone has difficulty breathing – may be coupled with a tightness in the chest, rapid breathing and heart palpitations.

Sudden loss of smell or taste

The British Association of Otorhinolaryngology warned that losing your sense of smell and taste may mean you have Covid.

The ear, nose and throat specialist recommended anyone with such symptoms self-isolate immediately. It has been suggested that the phenomena may be caused by the coronavirus killing cells in the nose and throat.

“Evidence from other countries is that the entry point for the coronavirus is often in the eyes, nose and throat areas,” the association said in a statement.

Stomach ache

As with a loss of appetite, enduring a tummy ache may easily be passed off as a sign of something more innocuous.

However, a newly published study by the American Journal of Gastroenterology links tummy problems to Covid.

They found that 48.5% of 204 people who have been infected by the coronavirus in China’s Hubei province had digestive symptoms such as diarrhoea.

Tiredness

Jaimuay Sae-ung, 73, was the first Thai national to contract coronavirus in December last year.

Despite having underlying health conditions, including a heart problem, Jaimuay survived the illness after doctors isolated her at a hospital in Thailand for treatment.

“I only knew (I had coronavirus) after I came to the hospital,” the mother of seven told Sky News.