No fever, but 'cough cough'... COVID-19 resurgence, what are the main symptoms?

No fever, but 'cough cough'... Reemergence of COVID-19, what are the main symptoms?

Story of Journalist Choi Ji-hyun (jh@kormedi.com)

Amid a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the novel coronavirus, a notice indicating that COVID-19 test kits are sold out is posted at a convenience store in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 20th. 2024.8.20/News1

 

Since June of this year, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the country has begun to increase, and by the second week of August, it reached 1,357 patients, surpassing the 1,000 mark for the first time this year. The COVID-19 variant virus driving this re-emergence is 'KP.3,' one of the six major subvariants of Omicron. This subvariant has a fatality rate and severity similar to previous strains, but it is known to be significantly more transmissible. As a result, there are some differences in the symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

Even with a decreased severity, 1 in 5 people in their 80s die.

Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital states, "It is true that the risk has decreased compared to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic." He explains that social immunity has been established through multiple COVID-19 vaccinations and that the virus itself has weakened through mutations.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reports that the fatality rate of KP.3 in this re-emergence is in the 1% range. This is similar to the fatality rate of influenza (the flu). In contrast, during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic, the original virus (Wuhan strain) and the Delta variant had fatality rates of 5-6%.

However, Professor Kim advised that this figure should be interpreted differently depending on age groups. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the COVID-19 fatality rate for those in their 20s to 40s is only about 0.01%, but it rises sharply to around 0.1% starting from the elderly in their 60s. In particular, for those aged 80 and above, it increases to over 1.75%.

Professor Kim said, "A fatality rate of 0.1% means 1 in 1,000 people, and 1.75% means 1 in 50 people die, which are still alarmingly high figures." He added, "It's comparable to the mortality rate of traffic accidents." He further stated, "For high-risk groups such as the elderly or those with underlying health conditions, it's still not enough to say, 'It's just a cold or flu, so it's nothing serious,' or 'It will heal naturally.'"

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Currently, there is a lack of research on the severity and fatality of KP.3, so we must wait for official announcements from the World Health Organization (WHO) or health authorities. The same applies to information about major symptoms or long-term complications.

In fact, there are some differences in the main symptoms of this re-outbreak as described by university hospitals and outpatient clinics. The observation that common cold symptoms such as cough are prominent was shared, but opinions differ regarding fever symptoms. This needs to be considered in light of the difference between outpatient clinics, which mainly see mild cases, and tertiary hospitals, which tend to treat more severe cases.

Coughing may be severe without a fever... beware of complications such as pneumonia

Professor Kim Woo-joo, who treats patients at a tertiary general hospital, said, "Among the patients visiting the hospital, those without a fever are the majority," and added, "Instead, symptoms such as cough, sore throat, and runny nose are more prominent." He explained that the loss of taste or smell, which was a major symptom before, is now rarely observed, and there are also slight neurological symptoms.

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There are also a surge of COVID-19 patients in the emergency room.

Two people in the company are also coming down with cold symptoms...

It seems masks are mandatory.

I need to pay more attention to my health management.