The similarity of Covid symptoms<\/a> with that of seasonal cough-and-cold has left hundreds of Kolkatans confused and worried. While they are scurrying for medical advice and are even being scared into quarantine, a section of doctors believe the fright is unfounded in most cases, since these are more likely to be an ordinary bout of non-Covid viral attack, common at this time of the year. They, however, are advising caution, regular screening and Covid testing<\/a> for those with breathing issues. <\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA 53-year-old IT executive TOI spoke to said he locked up in his bedroom after he woke up with a runny nose last Monday. He didn\u2019t have fever, but he immediately called his doctor and narrated the symptoms, none of which were severe. \u201cTo my relief, he said it was likely to be an ordinary cold<\/a>, and that I would be fine in two days, but should remain confined to a room till the symptoms turned milder. I started feeling better from the next evening and hardly had any symptoms after two days. So, I haven\u2019t got myself tested,\u201d said the techie.
In a similar case, a 49-year-old engineer had a sore throat and sought an online consultation with a private hospital doctor on Tuesday. After a 10-minute interaction, the doctor concluded that he was very unlikely to be Covid-positive. \u201cEven a minor cough or a bout of sneezing is leaving people worried,\u201d said AMRI Hospitals consultant Debashish Saha. \u201cBut these are more often triggered by the common seasonal viruses which strike during monsoon.\u201d
The more likely culprits are the rhinovirus<\/a>, human metapneumovirus and influenza virus, said doctors. Other strains of the coronavirus \u2014 which are not as contagious or virulent as nCoV, which causes Covid-19 \u2014 could be active as well, said physicians. All of these viruses are activated by temperature fluctuations and high humidity, conditions that now prevail, they pointed out. \u201cAs long as the symptoms are mild, there is no need to press the panic button,\u201d said Saha. \u201cKeep monitoring your oxygen saturation level and check if it has dropped below 95. Watch out for breathing difficulty. In case you pant after a few brisk paces in your room, consult a doctor immediately. Till then, be at home and take paracetamol for fever and steam inhalation to check congestion. Also, keep gargling with betadine solution,\u201d he added.
Souren Panja, the critical care head at RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), pointed out that the scare was partly due to the fact that the \u201csafer\u201d strains of the coronavirus, too, fuelled upper respiratory tract infections that proves deadly in case of Covid-19 patients. \u201cWe have been convincing patients that the other strains of the coronavirus and influenza are easily curable, despite similar symptoms,\u201d he said.
Consultant Arindam Biswas agreed. \u201cThere has been a spurt in panic calls since the spike in Covid cases has coincided with the frequent viral attacks. It is better to start taking antibiotics on a doctor\u2019s advice to be safe. The elderly and those with co-morbidities should not be taking chances and must get tested as soon as they can. The rest should wait and screen the symptoms, which are unlikely to turn severe in most cases,\u201d he said. He, however, warned that undetected Covid could be dangerous, for it may worsen in the space of a few hours. \u201cThere have been a few cases where the symptoms were like that of the ordinary flu, but led to severe breathing distress. Covid attacks are getting more virulent, especially in the case of senior citizens,\u201d said Biswas.
Unusual symptoms like diarrhoea, loss of smell and taste, poor appetite and uneasiness should be taken seriously and consultation sought, said Belle Vue Clinic internal medicine consultant Rahul Jain. \u201cThese are often helping segregate Covid patients from those with non-Covid viral attacks,\u201d he said. \u201cThe majority of true infections will be mild or totally asymptomatic.\u201d <\/div>\n