Coronavirus symptoms range between patients, according to OHA
JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — With coronavirus still being so new, Jackson County Health Officer Dr. Jim Shames says there’s still a lot doctors don’t know.
“Every week that goes by we’re learning more about this virus,” Dr. Shames said.
With every patient doctors collect more and more information about the virus, including what the symptoms are.
“This virus can attack so many organs in the body. It is primarily respiratory, but some people get confused, have headaches. A lot of people have muscle aches,” Dr. Shames said,
According to the Oregon Health Authority the most common symptom is a cough with nearly 70% of patients reporting one. About 50% develop a fever greater than 100 degrees.
Other symptoms include shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache, and chills. Symptoms not as common include loss of smell, vomiting, and pneumonia.
There’s still a lot of unknowns and some people say they don’t have any of these symptoms.
“There is a significant percentage of people who either have such mild symptoms they’re not even paying attention to them or apparently no symptoms at all,” Dr. Shames said.
Dr. Shames says this makes it even more important that people don’t assume they’re safe.
Wear a mask and try to minimize contact with others to flatten the curve.
“It’s your job to protect others and have the assumption the person you’re interfacing with could also be infectious cause we really don’t know and we’re not really at a place yet that we can really let our guard down,” Dr. Shames said.
Dr. Shames says without proper distancing models show the outcome in Oregon could have been much worse.
