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Clinical Symptoms

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What’s my personal risk for a bad COVID outcome should I become infected?

Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Staying Safe

A: A variety of “risk calculators” have been developed to help you answer this very question (Links below). BIG CAVEAT: There are huge margins of error on the results, often making the risk scores MORE PRECISE THAN ACCURATE. Background: As much of the country continues to move through re-opening phases, we as individuals are having Read more…

I need to know more about this virus. With all this talk about church choirs being risky events, does this imply that the virus is spread through the air?

Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread

A: We still believe that the virus is transmitted primarily through droplets. But, here’s the truth: there is a very fine line between droplet and airborne transmission. Airborne: Transmitted by tiny droplets that remain suspended in the air. Can travel distances. (Hypothesized for SARS and MERS) Droplet: Transmitted by larger droplets that fall to the Read more…

Should I be worried about my child spreading COVID-19 and/or getting strange and serious COVID-19 symptoms?

Clinical Symptoms Data and Metrics Families/Kids Infection and Spread

A: If we look at the data to date (we can’t know about data that we don’t have!), children are much less likely to get COVID-19 than adults after exposure. The data also tell us that it is likely that fewer children are infected in the community than adults and that they are less likely Read more…

What is Kawasaki disease? Is it linked to Covid-19 in children?

Clinical Symptoms

A: Kawasaki disease is a rare inflammatory condition that affects children, typically under 5 years of age. Cases of Kawasaki-like illness, currently referred to as Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome, appear to be linked to Covid-19 infection. This condition remains a very rare complication of Covid-19 in children and teenagers. Further tracking and study is required. Read more…

Help! I’m having poop problems!

Clinical Symptoms

A: You’re not alone: “PANDEMIC POOP” is real. Disruptions in daily routines – for example, reduced exercise, changes in sleep habits, and increased stress – can throw off the colon’s circadian rhythm, often causing constipation. Physicians recommend upping fiber intake and ensuring proper hydration to get back on track. And don’t hesitate to reach out Read more…

Are there neurological issues, other than strokes, that I should worry about?

Biology/Immunity Clinical Symptoms

A: Yes and no. Most of the other neurological complications seen to date have occurred later in disease progression (some time after active COVID-19 symptoms). There is some concern that COVID-19 can have effects on neural cells in the brain through the same mechanism that the virus enters other cells (ACE-2 receptor). There is also Read more…

I have been hearing about young, healthy people who didn’t have overt symptoms of COVID-19 having strokes. What does this mean?

Biology/Immunity Clinical Symptoms

A: We are still learning a great deal about the virus. Early reports from Italy and China have demonstrated that patients positive for COVID-19 are at an increased risk of developing blood clots, which can increase the risk of stroke due to occlusion of the blood vessels (1). Increasing cases of young, otherwise healthy people Read more…

I’m young(ish) and healthy, do I really need to worry about catching COVID-19?

Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread

A: While the most serious risk for complications and mortality is still at older ages and those with co-morbidities, the course of disease in younger and middle-aged adults is proving highly unpredictable. “There’s a big difference in how people handle this virus,” says Robert Murphy, a professor of medicine and the director of the Center Read more…

I have been hearing about CT scans as possibly being better at testing for COVID-19 than the current swab test. Is this true?

Clinical Symptoms Testing and Contact Tracing

A: It’s a little more complicated. Experts believe that the false negative rate (people who have a negative test result but are actually positive) can be around 30% with the swab test, generally due to improper sample collection. CT scans check for lung appearance, specifically ”ground glass” opacities, which are common to several diseases (pneumonia, Read more…

IMPORTANT REMINDER

Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread

For COVID-19, there are lag times from infection to being symptomatic to (in the worst case) hospitalization to death. Today’s case and death rates are like looking at “light from a distant star.” Control measures work, but we only see their effects *weeks* after implementing them. Keep the faith! Links: Twitter Graphic Original FB post

Can the novel coronavirus present with digestive symptoms instead of respiratory symptoms?

Clinical Symptoms

A: Yes. FEVER and RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS (including cough and shortness of breath) remain the most common presenting symptoms. A new study came out today highlighting a subset of people who instead presented to hospitals with digestive symptoms (loss of appetite and diarrhea). The study alerts healthcare providers to consider alternative presentations of this new virus. Read more…