Covid: Five Symptoms That Could Mean You Need Emergency Medical Help Listed By CDC
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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has listed five coronavirus symptoms for which people should ‘seek emergency medical care immediately’.
The vast majority of coronavirus cases do not require treatment in hospital, with main symptoms such as a high temperature, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste usually manageable at home.
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, the hospital admission rate of COVID-19-confirmed patients in England was 19.03 per 100,000 people in the week ending January 9, 2022.
The NHS encourages people to call 111 if you are ‘worried about your symptoms’, and while the CDC assures that ‘most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home’, it has listed some ’emergency warning signs’ for COVID-19 for which people should seek treatment.
The five symptoms include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, and pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone.
Anyone showing any of these signs is encouraged by the CDC to ‘seek emergency medical care immediately’, with the organisation noting that people should also contact their medical provider for ‘any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.’
Meanwhile, the NHS urges people to go to A&E or call 999 if you are ‘so breathless that you’re unable to say short sentences when resting; your breathing has got suddenly worse; you cough up blood; you feel cold and sweaty, with pale or blotchy skin; you have a rash that looks like small bruises or bleeding under the skin and does not fade when you roll a glass over it; you collapse or faint; you feel agitated, confused or very drowsy; you’ve stopped peeing or are peeing much less than usual.’
It must be stressed that these symptoms are not inevitable with coronavirus, and most people who test positive feel better ‘within a few weeks’, the NHS say.
The health service encourages those who are ill to ‘ask a friend, family member or neighbour to check up on you’ and ‘arrange a regular call or talk through a doorway (not face to face) so they can check how you’re doing’.
In order to treat the virus at home, the service recommends getting lots of rest and drinking plenty of fluids to tackle a high temperature, avoid lying on your back if you have a cough, and keep your room cool if you are feeling breathless.
If you’ve been affected by coronavirus and want up to date advice, visit the Gov.uk help page here. If you need medical help call NHS 111 or visit online
