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CDC adds 6 coronavirus symptoms to list

COVID-19 patients may experience chills, headaches, loss of taste or smell

Photo by Associated Press, Illustration by Henry Keller (Henry Keller, KSAT, AP)

SAN ANTONIO – The Centers for Disease Control has added six new COVID-19 symptoms as health experts are seeing the virus affect patients in a growing number of ways.

The CDC has added the following symptoms, which may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:

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  • Chills
  • Repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell

Previously, the CDC listed three symptoms for the novel coronavirus, including cough, fever and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Loss of smell had been emerging as a possible new symptom since late March, when doctors noticed it had been repeating in patients who tested positive.

WATCH: Health leaders discuss Bexar County’s COVID-19 peak

Symptoms range from mild to severe depending on the patient, according to the CDC. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. Children also have similar symptoms to adults.

One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. CDC recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.

Confirmed infections stand at 1 million in the U.S., according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. There are 1,307 COVID-19 cases and 44 deaths in Bexar County, as of Tuesday.

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT:


About the Author
Rebecca Salinas headshot

Rebecca Salinas is the Digital Executive Producer at KSAT 12 News. A San Antonio native, Rebecca is an award-winning journalist who joined KSAT in 2019.

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