Blood types and Covid:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/16/health/blood-types-coronavirus-wellness-scn/index.html
Most Covid-19 patients surveyed had either a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, new CDC study finds
From CNNās Jen Christensen
Covid-19 can cause a wide variety of symptoms, but a new analysis of records by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that most patients seemed to share at least one of three symptoms: fever, cough or shortness of breath.
The report published Thursday covered 164 people with lab confirmed cases of Covid-19. The patients all had symptoms, and all were sick between January 14 and April 4.
Since Covid-19 was a new disease and since information about symptoms was limited, especially among patients that hadnāt been hospitalized, the CDC sent a further survey to patients identified by local health leaders. The patients were asked to report on a wide variety of symptoms and also asked to report on any additional symptoms that were not widely recognized.
Among these patients, nearly all ā 96% ā had had either a fever, cough, or shortness of breath and about 45% experienced all three.
Cough was the most common symptom: 84% of surveyed patients said they had a cough, the team of CDC and state health officials found. Fever was the next most common symptom, with 80% of patients reporting they had a fever. Shortness of breath was more commonly associated with people who were hospitalized.
Patients also experienced a wide variety of other symptoms including muscle pain, chills, fatigue and headache. At least one stomach issue, most commonly diarrhea, was each reported by half of the patients. Some patients also reported GI symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
A higher percentage of people who did not have to go to the hospital lost their sense of taste or smell.
Remember: These results are not generalizable, since testing was restricted to certain patients during this time period and hospitalized patients are likely overrepresented in the sample of people surveyed, but the data does give doctors a better sense of who might need to be tested or even isolated to slow the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
TWIV ep 640 has a fantastic discussion about testing.
Yeah, because they only surveyed patients who were symptomatic.
@Midwest67 said
I agree. To me, this is the most uplifting news since research results validated the efficacy of dexamethasone (steroid use in the right patient at the right time).
Here is the description of the episode:
āMichael Mina joins TWiV to reveal why frequent and rapid SARS-CoV-2 testing is more important than accuracy, how a daily $1 rapid test could control the pandemic, and why group testing works.ā
These tests are accurate enough to catch people when they are most contagious. Test every morning and keep people out when they are shedding virus.
Link:
https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-640/
Yes, for surveillance purposes. But there are settings where both speed and accuracy are needed, such as hospital admissions. You either assume that every patient is Covid-positive and work with that assumption (imagine how much PPE and hospital space for isolation that would require) or you test with an accurate test and send the patient to the appropriate wing.
Great news! 20 min blood test. Is this different from the rapid test that are in use?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/australian-researchers-invent-20-minute-064725254.html
Yes, we have an expensive, accurate PCR test for diagnosis of hospital patients. It isnāt useful for surveillance of the community because it requires samples to be sent to a lab for results. This takes too many resources, and too much time, so we canāt test wisely and with frequency. Results are taking a week due to demand. Another problem is that people test positive after they have already been through the contagious period. It makes little sense to waste resources doing contact tracing for the past two days when the positive person was infectious a week ago.
What we need is an easy, cheap test with fast results to keep infectious people from transmitting.
We have the technology for $1 paper strips with monoclonal antibodies printed on them. You lick it in the morning and it changes color within 15 minutes if you are positive.
Think about what that would do for schools alone.
This is an important article. Everyone is talking about waning immunity, but it seems most of the people despairing that vaccines wonāt work since antibodies are not detectable mere months after an infection are not considering the whole picture. Apparently T-cell immunity can last many years.
Thanks for posting.
My very limited understanding is even if the first generation vaccines are āonlyā seasonal, itās still a big win.
@Nrdsb4 I was going to mention T-cell immunity. Apparently, it is quite important. Researchers were quite excited about it early on.
Skin rash should be considered Covid-19 symptom, researchers say
CNN
Skin rashes and reddish bumps on fingers and toes should be considered a key coronavirus symptom, researchers from Kingās College London (KCL) have said.
The skin rashes can occur in the absence of any other symptoms, a new pre-print study led by the university suggests.
Key coronavirus symptoms that are widely accepted include fever, cough and shortness of breath, but a range of other signs have been suggested, including the loss of smell and taste in some patients.
The KCL researchers used data from the Covid-19 Symptom Study app, which is submitted by around 336,000 people in the UK.
They found that 8.8% of people who tested positive for coronavirus reported a skin rash as a symptom, compared with 5.4% of people who tested negative.
The team then set up a separate online survey, gathering information from nearly 12,000 people with skin rashes and suspected or confirmed Covid-19.
They found that 17% of respondents who tested positive for the virus reported a rash as the first symptom of the disease. For 21% of people who reported a rash and had confirmed Covid-19, the rash was their only symptom.
āMany viral infections can affect the skin, so itās not surprising that we are seeing these rashes in Covid-19," said lead author Dr. Veronique Bataille, consultant dermatologist at St Thomasā Hospital and Kingās College London.
"However, it is important that people know that in some cases, a rash may be the first or only symptom of the disease. So if you notice a new rash, you should take it seriously by self-isolating and getting tested as soon as possible.ā
The researchers believe the rashes fall into three distinct categories. The first is a hive-type rash, which can come and go quite quickly over a few hours.
āIt can involve any part of the body, and often starts with intense itching of the palms or soles, and can cause swelling of the lips and eyelids. These rashes can present quite early on in the infection, but can also last a long time afterwards,ā KCL said in a statement.
The second type of rash is a prickly heat one, in which areas of small red bumps can occur anywhere across the body but particularly on the elbows and knees as well as the back of the hands and feet.
The third type involves red or purple bumps appearing on the fingers and toes.
āThis type of rash is most specific to Covid-19, is more common in younger people with the disease, and tends to present later on,ā the team said.
āThese findings highlight the importance of keeping an eye on any new changes in your skin, such as lumps, bumps or rashes," said consultant dermatologist Dr Justine Kluk.
"Early reporting of Covid-associated rashes by members of the public and recognition of their significance by frontline healthcare practitioners ā¦ may increase the detection of coronavirus infections and help to stop the spread.ā
I was very sick in early March, for 10 days. The first thing that happened was a weird raised pinkish red lesion on my shoulder. It didnāt look at all like a tick bite, which was my first thought. Then fever, shortness of breath, pain all over. I never go to the doctor but went three times in a week, trying to get someone to listen to me about how I had ānever felt so sick in my life.ā Negative flu test. I still wonderā¦I had been at a large hospital cancer clinic for 6 hours the week before, with people from all over. We werenāt being careful yet. So yeah, the skin thing is interesting.
Got my first covid test today. I had done so well for so long. But here I am. Sore throat, just feeling cruddy. Fingers crossed Im negative because I likely picked it up at my second job which means I will have to miss days at my fulltime teaching job and the university is going to be pissed.
I had a COVID test on Weds. It was a prerequisite for a preventative colonoscopy this coming Monday. I went thru the testing drive thru around 10:30 Weds morning. This morning I had my results, via email, from Quest labs. They were negative (as I fully expected).
I consider that to be pretty quick turn around time.
@compmom ā Have you gone for antibody testing? (I asked my doctor to include Covid antibody testing in my routine bloodwork, but she wouldnāt agree ā she said I could pay for it on my own if I was ājust curious.ā ā but maybe youāll have better luck with the history you describe).
As to the rashesā¦ my problem is that historically I get hives from allergies & also tied to other mild viral infections, and also the prickly point type rashes, usually tied to heat or exercise. (Thereās a thing called exercise-induced vasculitis which I figured out one day after I developed spots on my legs & ankles during a yoga class).
But the point is that for me, Iād really have no way of drawing the line beween allergy-rash and covid-rash unless the covid version was particularly itchy or painful. Otherwise spots and transient red lumps on my body are just a variant of normal for me. Iām sure Iām not the only one.
Iām weirdly excited about this. For 3 days I have had a rash that looks like many of the pictures. It looks like 20 spider bites from my neck to my groin. For the most part, they are not itchy or painful (there may be some mosquito bites in there too). Some are welty, some look like mosquito bites, and tonight it looks like there is another generation of smaller bites ready to erupt.
The bad news is that I was at a major medical center today, so if this turns out to be something I feel terrible.
and its not shingles?
@2plustrio Iāve had both generations of shingles vaccines and thereās no pain. Thereās been very little itching.
FWIW, I participate in the Johns Hopkins Covid-tracking app daily. Iāve had no symptoms. I have also had an antibody test, partly for the amusement of my internist.
Rule out a contact dermatitis. The covid ones can sorta look like anything but look more like small infections or superficial rashs. Not following a certain location like you described. But heh, every day things change.