COVID-19: Maharashtra task force warns new symptoms like hearing loss being ignored

The Maharashtra COVID task force has warned that some emerging symptoms of the coronavirus are being ignored by infected patients leading to a delay in their treatment. The new symptoms include hearing problems, dry mouth, severe headache, conjunctivitis, gastrointestinal problems, pink eye, rashes and skin irritation.

In an online conference chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on Sunday, Dr Rahul Pandit, a task force member, said that in some cases COVID-19 was not suspected in diarrhoea patients, and by the time they were tested, it was already too late. The COVID task force official explained that symptoms like extremely dry mouth and stubborn headaches are being ignored. 

Dr Suhas Prabhu, a member of the state’s paediatric task force, additionally alerted that the opening of schools will result in virus exposure with "the fear that they (children) may be disproportionately impacted in the third wave arises from the fact that they are unvaccinated." The experts emphasised the use of face masks and early testing to control the virus spread.

While talking about recovery, experts at the online conference explained that it takes three weeks, and after recovering, 40% of patients grapple with issues including anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. 

Evolving COVID-19 symptoms

Health officials said that even though COVD-19 has been around for more than a year now, newer symptoms are still evolving. Earlier research had stated that COVID-19 infection may differ among age groups and between men and women.

A study published in The Lancet Digital Health, informed that men were more likely to report shortness of breath, fatigue, chills and shivers. On the other hand, women, during the early days of COVID-19 infection, are likely to report loss of smell, chest pain and persistent cough. 

Meanwhile, it was also reported that symptoms of the Delta variant are different from the traditional symptoms. The most common coronavirus symptoms include fever, dry cough, and tiredness according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Less common symptoms include loss of taste or smell, nasal congestion, sore throat, headache, muscle or joint pain, different types of skin rash, nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea, and chills or dizziness. Symptoms of severe COVID‐19 disease include shortness of breath, loss of appetite, confusion, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, and high temperature.

(Image: PTI/Representative)