Eight hidden signs you had coronavirus before outbreak as Covid-19 crisis deepens

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed the two key symptoms he suffered before testing positive with coronavirus.

THE PM announced he had tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, March 27, before Health Secretary Matt Hancock, too, revealed his diagnosis.

They were joined by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, with all three men self-isolating and reporting ‘mild’ symptoms.

Nevertheless, the death toll in the UK rose once again on Friday, surpassing 700, with many more thousands infected.

But did you know there were some lesser-known symptoms which you could have had? After all, some studies into Covid-19 have suggested the majority of cases are asymptomatic.

Many people have contacted News Reporters to claim that they experienced symptoms linked to Covid-19 in the weeks following the New Year.

Below are the eight symptoms that may suggest you have already been infected by the Coronavirus.

Red eyes

The College of Optometrists said: “It is recognised that any upper respiratory tract infection may result in viral conjunctivitis as a secondary complication, and this is also the case with Covid-19.

“However, it is unlikely that a person would present with viral conjunctivitis secondary to Covid-19 without other symptoms of fever or a continuous cough as conjunctivitis seems to be a late feature where it has occurred.”

A different-sounding cough

Perhaps the most recognisable of the Covid-19 symptoms, given how different it can sound compared to a typical cough.

The cough is generally new for you – or different if you generally have a smoker’s cough – and persistant.

More often than not it will last for at least half a day.

Thea Jourdan said that she first thought she may have been infected when she got a tickle in her throat and a headache.

The mum-of-three then began to experience brain fog.

“Initially I felt exhausted, as if I was dragging myself through treacle and had no choice but to go to my bed. I had no meaningful cough and I wasn’t running a fever,” the Hampshire woman told the publication.

“But I had a peculiar sensation of something settling deep within my lungs, almost like breathing in talcum powder.”

Hot to the touch

Although numbers vary for different people, a rise in body temperature generally counts as a fever once it reaches 37.7C (100F).

You can tell you have a fever if you feel hot to the touch on your chest or back.

Breathless

If your chest starts to feel tight or you cannot breath, you may have caught the coronavirus.

Most young people or those without pre-existing health conditions are unlikely to experience this symptom.

Dyspnea – the term for when someone has difficulty breathing – may be coupled with a tightness in the chest, rapid breathing and heart palpitations.

Sudden loss of taste – or smell

Over the weekend the British Association of Otorhinolaryngology warned that losing your sense of smell and taste may mean you have Covid-19.

The ear, nose and throat specialist recommended anyone with such symptoms self-isolate immediately.

It has been suggested that the phenomena may be caused by the coronavirus killing cells in the nose and throat.

“Evidence from other countries is that the entry point for the coronavirus is often in the eyes, nose and throat areas,” the Association said in a statement.

“We have also identified a new symptom (loss of sense of smell and taste) which may mean that people without other symptoms but with just the loss of this sense may have to self-isolate – again to reduce the spread of the virus.”

Sore tummy

As with a loss of appetite, enduring a tummy ache may easily be passed off as a sign of something more innocuous.

However, a newly published study by the American Journal of Gastroenterology links tummy problems to Covid-19.

They found that 48.5 per cent of 204 people who have been infected by the coronavirus in China’s Hubei province had digestive symptoms such as diarrhoea.

Tiredness

Jaimuay Sae-ung, 73, was the first Thai national to contract coronavirus in December last year.

Despite having underlying health conditions, including a heart problem, Jaimuay survived the illness after doctors isolated her at a hospital in Thailand for treatment.

“I only knew (I had coronavirus) after I came to the hospital,” the mother of seven confirmed.

“I felt a bit sad, a bit shocked, tired and fatigued and I couldn’t eat.”