As of July 9, 020, the CDC has warned that people look for the following emergency warning signs for COVID-19 that need medical attention:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face

Symptoms that Call for Medical Attention

Until April 26, 2020, CDC warned of the three symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19; fever, cough and shortness of breath.  As of July 9, 2020, the center added ten more symptoms to the list, now totaling thirteen symptoms listed below that may indicate the existence of the disease: 

As of July 9, 2020:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea


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The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. 

Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Centers for Disease control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1. Mild

2.  Moderate

3. Severe

4. Critical

The Severity of  COVID-19 Symptoms

Studies have identified various trends in symptoms of COVID-19 patients by age groups 

Symptoms of COVID-19 by Age Groups

Studies of COVID-19 Symptoms by Geographic Location

Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing.  Other factors may increase the risk of severe symptoms

Rate of Appearance of Severe Symptoms

Even in the absence of typical respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, various patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have presented neurological symptoms, such as:

- acute cerebrovascular diseases

- impaired consciousness

-  skeletal muscle injury

- encephalopathy (symptoms: ischemic stroke)

- loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia)

- stroke

- cranial nerve deficits

- delirium

- meningitis

- paralysis

- seizures

- neuroinflammatory syndromes

- high pressure CSF

- muscle stiffness

The list below includes less-common neurological symptoms of COVID-19:
- Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS)
- Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Neurological symptoms Presented in COVID-19 Patients

This data has been drawn from the research firm Dynata examining symptom reporting by Americans released in July of 2020.  Symptoms are most commonly reported among those living in extreme poverty or extreme wealth, with lower reporting of those among middle incomes.  A similar pattern is demonstrated among those with remarkably little educational achievement and those with remarkably high educational achievement.  Although data is not selected from a representative sample, sample sizes are large.

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