Do I have a cold or do I have coronavirus? It's a question any of us feeling unwell may have asked ourselves in recent days and weeks as COVID-19 cases rise. While the odds of your having COVID-19 are much lower than the likelihood of your having the common cold or flu, it's important you know what to look out for — and where you can get help. What are the symptoms of coronavirus? The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and a dry cough. Some people also experience a sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, aches and pains, or diarrhoea. Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild illness to pneumonia. Normally, our body temperature is between 36–37 degrees Celsius. Any temperature over 38 is classified as a fever, and so that is something to keep an eye on. Symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. They typically appear three to four days after exposure to the virus, but sometimes up to 14 days later. However, some people become infected but don't develop any symptoms and don't feel unwell. About 80 per cent of people who get COVID-19 will recover without needing special treatment. But one in six will become seriously ill and develop breathing difficulties. Older people and those with underlying health problems such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are more likely to develop serious illness. In Australia, the people most at risk of getting the virus are those who have recently been in a high-risk country or region, and people who have been in close contact with someone who has coronavirus. How is COVID-19 different to the flu? While COVID-19 and influenza both can cause respiratory symptoms, there are some key differences. According to the Government's healthdirect website, influenza often includes muscle pains and headache, while these symptoms are uncommon in COVID-19. Another difference between the two diseases is the kind of person affected. So far, severe COVID-19 has mainly affected older age groups and people with chronic illnesses. To date, healthy people, children and pregnant women — who can become very sick from flu — haven't been significantly affected by COVID-19. But health authorities have warned younger adults shouldn't be complacent about their risk from coronavirus, since it's not impossible for them to have a severe form of the disease. So far, Australian data shows people in their 60s have the highest rates of diagnosis, followed by people in their 30s, then 50s. I think I have COVID-19 symptoms. What should I do? If you are sick and think you have symptoms of COVID-19, authorities recommend you seek medical attention. If you want to speak to someone about your symptoms first, you can call the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. It's operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Before visiting your local GP or hospital clinic, you need to call ahead to make an appointment. It's also important to call ahead to explain your symptoms, travel history, and any recent close contact with someone who has COVID-19, so they can prepare for your appointment. GPs are now being reimbursed for telephone consultations on coronavirus, for those who think they might have it, or who have pre-existing health problems and do not want to come into a doctor's waiting room. They can also advise whether a telehealth consultation is appropriate. In coming weeks, the Federal Government is also establishing 100 GP respiratory clinics to assess people. What if I've been overseas recently? If you have returned from another country and are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough, headaches, sore throat, fatigue, sweats, chills or shortness of breath, you should contact your doctor or local hospital. Again, you need to call ahead so the doctor is aware of your symptoms and travel history before you visit the clinic. People entering Australia from any overseas country — including Australian citizens — must self-quarantine for 14 days from their date of arriving in Australia. The same goes for people who have been in contact with a person infected with COVID-19. Will I need to get tested for COVID-19? Testing methods may include a blood test, a swab test inside your nose or in the back of your throat, or a sputum test, which examines a mix of saliva and mucus. You will only be tested if your doctor decides you meet the criteria: You have returned from overseas in the past 14 days and you develop respiratory illness with or without fever. You have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the past 14 days and you develop respiratory illness with or without fever. You have severe community-acquired pneumonia and there is no clear cause. You are a healthcare worker who works directly with patients and you have a respiratory illness and a fever. At this stage, if you do not have any symptoms, you will not be tested for COVID-19. Because there is a global shortage of test kits that pathologists use to diagnose COVID-19, Australia is only doing targeted testing instead of widespread testing. The guidelines for testing are being regularly updated as the spread of the virus changes in Australia. Source
Liver injury in COVID-19: management and challenges Chao Zhang Lei Shi Fu-Sheng Wang Published:March 04, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30057-1 PlumX Metrics Previous ArticleAdjuvant 131I-metuximab for hepatocellular carcinoma aft … Next ArticleEarly detection of pancreatic cancer References Article Info Tables Request Your Institutional Access In December, 2019, an outbreak of a novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2], previously 2019-nCoV) started in Wuhan, China, and has since become a global threat to human health. The number of confirmed cases of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has reached 87 137 worldwide as of March 1, 2020, according to WHO COVID-19 situation report 41; most of these patients are in Wuhan, China. Many cases of COVID-19 are acute and resolve quickly, but the disease can also be fatal, with a mortality rate of around 3%. 1 Onset of severe disease can result in death due to massive alveolar damage and progressive respiratory failure. 2 SARS-CoV-2 shares 82% genome sequence similarity to SARS-CoV and 50% genome sequence homology to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)—all three coronaviruses are known to cause severe respiratory symptoms. Liver impairment has been reported in up to 60% of patients with SARS 3 and has also been reported in patients infected with MERS-CoV. 4 • View related content for this article At least seven relatively large-scale case studies have reported the clinical features of patients with COVID-19. 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 In this Comment, we assess how the liver is affected using the available case studies and data from The Fifth Medical Center of PLS General Hospital, Beijing, China. These data indicate that 2–11% of patients with COVID-19 had liver comorbidities and 14–53% cases reported abnormal levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) during disease progression (table). Patients with severe COVID-19 seem to have higher rates of liver dysfunction. In a study in The Lancet by Huang and colleagues, 5 elevation of AST was observed in eight (62%) of 13 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) compared with seven (25%) of 28 patients who did not require care in the ICU. Moreover, in a large cohort including 1099 patients from 552 hospitals in 31 provinces or provincial municipalities, more severe patients with disease had abnormal liver aminotransferase levels than did non-severe patients with disease. 1 Furthermore, in another study, 8 patients who had a diagnosis of COVID-19 confirmed by CT scan while in the subclinical phase (ie, before symptom onset) had significantly lower incidence of AST abnormality than did patients diagnosed after the onset of symptoms. Therefore, liver injury is more prevalent in severe cases than in mild cases of COVID-19.
My Account Cart (0) Log Out My Saved NEWS CME JOURNALS MEETING CALENDAR BOOKS JOBS All News Video Opinion In the Journals Meeting News Resource Centers Current Issues Healio Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis COMMENT Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19? Experts discuss its promise, risks amid reports of shortages March 23, 2020 Leonard Calabrese Late last week, President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through the medical industry when he announced in a press conference that the FDA had approved the anti-malarial hydroxychloroquine to treat patients infected with coronavirus. The president added that doctors would be able to prescribe the drug, commonly used by rheumatologists for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other conditions, “literally within a few days.” SEE ALSO Interrupting the Fibromyalgia Cycle Hydroxychloroquine not linked with hemolytic anemia in patients with G6PD deficiency Sammaritano makes recommendations for pregnant women with rheumatologic disease That, it turns out, was not the case. The walk-back from the FDA was swift, with Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, cautioning that the agency must first conduct a clinical trial to determine whether hydroxychloroquine is safe and effective in patients with COVID-19, and at what dosage. Since that time, physicians and experts have expressed concern that Trump’s comments have led to confusion and fear among patients with rheumatic and other diseases who rely on the drug. Shortages of hydroxychloroquine were reported less than 24 hours following the president’s announcement. The FDA has stated researchers will conduct a clinical trial to determine whether hydroxychloroquine is safe and effective in patients with COVID-19, and at what dosage. Source: Adobe “I listened to the president’s news conference, and reflecting on it now, I don’t think he was the guy to deliver this type of granular description of drug availability, and I think the result is a lot of tenuous false hopes, and a lot of bad information all at the same time,” said Leonard Calabrese, DO, director of the RJ Fasenmyer Center for Clinical Immunology at the Cleveland Clinic, and chief medical editor of Healio Rheumatology. “As a result, I fear that this is leaving patients confused, and patients with rheumatic diseases who receive these drugs fearful that there will be shortages, which we are already seeing.” “Having said that, I think this is a very exiting space,” he added. “This family of drugs, these antimalarials, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, both have mechanisms of action that do have antiviral properties and antimicrobial properties against pathogens that live in the indissoluble compartments within the cells. So, I am all-in to learning more.”
