CAPE TOWN - While scientists are still in the early phases of understanding the Coronavirus or Covid-19, some studies have produced a day-by-day breakdown of the typical symptoms.
One study in particular examined a case series of 138 consecutive hospitalized patients with confirmed Covid-19 at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, China.
Symptoms can appear between two and 10 days after contracting the virus, however some researchers say the virus could remain in the body for up to 14 days. This is how the average patient's symptoms progressed day-by-day :
Day 1:
Before hospitalisation, common symptoms for patients included a fever, dry cough or a sore throat, fatigue and muscle pain.
Day 5:
Older patients or patients with preexisting health conditions experienced difficulty breathing.
Day 7:
The average time for patients to check themselves into hospital was a week according to the Wuhan University study.
Day 8:
According to the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approximately 15% of patients with severe cases develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This is caused by fluids building up in the lungs.
Day 10:
If the hospitalised patients symptoms do not improve, day 10 is the average time when the patient is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Serious cases received ventilatory support, while those improving only experienced abdominal pain.
Day 17:
Patients who recovered from the virus were discharged from the hospital around 2-3 weeks. Of the 138 patients included in the study conducted by Wuhan University, 26% required ICU care, 34.1% were discharged, 6 died (4.3%), and 61.6% remain hospitalized.
For LIVE updates on the Coronavirus pandemic, follow us on Twitter : @sacoronamonitor
CORONAVIRUS MONITOR