Archivos de Medicina

Short Communication

The novel coronavirus is rapidly spreading globally and has put the entire planet on standby. Despite following strict measures of hand washing and social distancing, the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 has been impossible to contain. Nearly 80% of people infected by coronavirus will develop mild to moderate respiratory illness which will usually recover without any treatment. However, this disease can cause serious complications in elderly people and people with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and cancer.

Classifying people based on their symptoms is not an exact science. You may not fit anyone classification exactly or may shift from mild to moderate symptoms or vice-versa during the course of illness. With so many people that are affected, everyone may not fit perfectly into the simple groups of classification. If your symptoms are predominantly mild, with one or two moderate symptoms, you may be classified as one with mild to moderate symptoms. People with COVID-19 are classified broadly as follows:

Silent carriers

• Patients with mild to moderate symptoms

• Patients with moderate to severe symptoms

• Critically ill patients with multi-organ dysfunction

There is recent evidence that COVID-19 can spread through silent carriers. These silent carriers or spreaders are people who are infected with coronavirus but show little or no symptoms of the disease. As a result, these people carry on with their daily lives, meeting family and friends, going to work, and spreading the disease without their own knowledge.

Mildly symptomatic carriers: People who display very mild symptoms like a mild cough or may just be feeling a little low come in this category. The virus mainly affects the upper respiratory tract and may cause mild cough or mild breathlessness on exertion. Your fever may not reach 37.8℃. You may lose your sense of smell, have mild headaches, or develop a runny nose.

Pre-symptomatic carriers: Some people do not develop any symptoms for up to a week after contracting the disease. They may later on experience cough, fever, or breathing difficulty.

Asymptomatic carriers: These are people who do not show any signs or symptoms of the disease on contracting it for the entire duration of the incubation period. This can last for around 14 days. As a result, they end up transmitting the virus to a lot of people. This fuels the pandemic in a rapid and dangerous manner.

Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases have been dubbed “silent spreaders”, and underline the importance of continued social distancing, regular hand washing and good hygiene when out and about.