The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its list of possible symptoms of COVID-19. Previously, the federal agency had listed three symptoms: fever, cough and shortness of breath.
As of April 26, that list was expanded to include those three symptoms as possible indicators of COVID-19, as well as chills, repeating shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell.
The CDC added the additional six symptoms after recommendations were issued by an organization of public health epidemiologists responsible for defining which infectious diseases are tracked and reported to the agency. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists recommended that COVID-19 be considered a nationally reportable illness and gave guidelines about how cases should be defined and identified.
The added symptoms reflect variation in the way the virus can affect individuals, something that has been observed by doctors treating patients during this pandemic. While people who become seriously ill from the virus primarily have acute respiratory distress, other symptoms can vary. The CDC said some people with COVID-19 don’t have fevers, or their fevers present and then disappear.
CSTE said cases should be reported if COVID-19 tests are positive, but also if there are symptoms that meet one of several thresholds. One category involves people who have cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Another involves people with two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or new loss of taste and smell. Cases of people on both categories should be reported as likely COVID-19 if there is no other plausible diagnosis, according to CSTE.