4 ms·

Are there any data on the severity of the symptoms? From what I've gathered, but without any hard data, in non-severe cases (i.e. not needing hospitalization)

Are there any data on the severity of the symptoms? From what I've gathered, but without any hard data, in non-severe cases (i.e. not needing hospitalization) they can vary from a slight sore throat, dry cough and mild fever, to the same with a high fever and general sense of exhaustion.

lazyasciiart 6y ago
Non-severe covers bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. My friend (who tested positive but was not hospitalized) described it as "chest pain, difficulty breathing, if I do something silly like walk 10 feet to the kitchen I get lightheaded and hold on to the wall" - for about ten days.
- acdha 6y ago
  The question I had was whether there’s a connection between delay and severity: if you’re one of those asymptomatic cases for a week or two, how does that change the likelihood of ending up on the worse end of the spectrum?
- ajross 6y ago
  What has gone wrong with this site? Why is this comment grayed out form downvotes? It's a straightforward testimony of real experience, and it doesn't even vary significantly form the consensus set of symptoms. I see this all the time, on a site that used to be a really good spot for rational discussion.
- lbeltrame 6y ago
  I don't know about the US, but usually getting pneumonia here (in normal non epidemic-conditions) gets you at least a visit to the hospital if not straight up hospitalization.
ineedasername 6y ago
Pretty much everyone I've heard talk about it that had it without being hospitalized still said it was the worst they've ever felt.
- goblin89 6y ago
  Don’t you think that anyone who got the “slight sore throat, dry cough and mild fever” or milder symptom variation would be unlikely to get tested or talk about it? The disconnect between the definitions of “mild” as in “passing without hospitalization” and “mild” as in “easy to bear for most people” is part of what grants weight to the message that the new virus is extremely bad even in the mild version. It could be worth applying the falsifiability check here. What are the chances you could hear a message contradicting this observation? I’m going to imagine a possible counter-message and its optics. “I was exposed and got sick, symptoms seemed to match up but they were really weak and not enough to get tested”—this would be unlikely to gain any positive attention. On facts it’d be very unspecific by the nature of it, on emotional level it might seem unfair to the suffering of other patients, from social/mass media point of view it’d just not be news- (or share-) worthy at all. Even if this case was much more common, the message has virtually no chances of ever being expressed and heard under current circumstances. This line of thought, of course, should not lead to a conclusion that the prevailing variation of the virus is really mild. It only points out that the accounts we get the chance to hear may not be enough to judge the general severity of the symptoms.
  - lbeltrame 6y ago
    > Don’t you think that anyone who got the “slight sore throat, dry cough and mild fever” or milder symptom variation would be unlikely to get tested or talk about it? That's my opinion, as well, there's clearly under-reporting of these cases, and that's why specific serological tests are important. Anecdata: a partner of an acquaintance of mine had fever (but rather mild) for a couple of days, then developed anosmia. The doctor told him to stay at home and that's it. He was never tested so the doubt lingers (happened well over a month ago, so one can't discount a flu, either).

lazyasciiart 6y ago

Non-severe covers bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. My friend (who tested positive but was not hospitalized) described it as "chest pain, difficulty breathing, if I do something silly like walk 10 feet to the kitchen I get lightheaded and hold on to the wall" - for about ten days.

acdha 6y ago
The question I had was whether there’s a connection between delay and severity: if you’re one of those asymptomatic cases for a week or two, how does that change the likelihood of ending up on the worse end of the spectrum?
ajross 6y ago
What has gone wrong with this site? Why is this comment grayed out form downvotes? It's a straightforward testimony of real experience, and it doesn't even vary significantly form the consensus set of symptoms. I see this all the time, on a site that used to be a really good spot for rational discussion.
lbeltrame 6y ago
I don't know about the US, but usually getting pneumonia here (in normal non epidemic-conditions) gets you at least a visit to the hospital if not straight up hospitalization.

ineedasername 6y ago

Pretty much everyone I've heard talk about it that had it without being hospitalized still said it was the worst they've ever felt.

goblin89 6y ago
Don’t you think that anyone who got the “slight sore throat, dry cough and mild fever” or milder symptom variation would be unlikely to get tested or talk about it? The disconnect between the definitions of “mild” as in “passing without hospitalization” and “mild” as in “easy to bear for most people” is part of what grants weight to the message that the new virus is extremely bad even in the mild version. It could be worth applying the falsifiability check here. What are the chances you could hear a message contradicting this observation? I’m going to imagine a possible counter-message and its optics. “I was exposed and got sick, symptoms seemed to match up but they were really weak and not enough to get tested”—this would be unlikely to gain any positive attention. On facts it’d be very unspecific by the nature of it, on emotional level it might seem unfair to the suffering of other patients, from social/mass media point of view it’d just not be news- (or share-) worthy at all. Even if this case was much more common, the message has virtually no chances of ever being expressed and heard under current circumstances. This line of thought, of course, should not lead to a conclusion that the prevailing variation of the virus is really mild. It only points out that the accounts we get the chance to hear may not be enough to judge the general severity of the symptoms.
- lbeltrame 6y ago
  > Don’t you think that anyone who got the “slight sore throat, dry cough and mild fever” or milder symptom variation would be unlikely to get tested or talk about it? That's my opinion, as well, there's clearly under-reporting of these cases, and that's why specific serological tests are important. Anecdata: a partner of an acquaintance of mine had fever (but rather mild) for a couple of days, then developed anosmia. The doctor told him to stay at home and that's it. He was never tested so the doubt lingers (happened well over a month ago, so one can't discount a flu, either).