THROUGHOUT the coronavirus pandemic we have all had the three main symptoms of the illness drilled into us.
A new persistent cough, a high temperature and a loss of taste and smell are all listed by the NHS as key symptoms.
If you have any of these symptoms you should get a test and isolate.
Experts have however warned that people who have the Delta variant are more likely to display symptoms that resemble a common cold – such as a runny nose.
Data from the ZOE Symptom Tracker app shows that the symptoms most recorded by people who are currently testing positive is a runny nose.
This is followed by a headache, sneezing, sore throat and a loss of smell.
As infections continue to rise, many people have been logging their symptoms and discussing them on social media platforms.
Whether it’s pruney fingers or hives, people are reporting a whole host of strange symptoms.
Posting on one Reddit thread called r/Covid19positive, one woman said the skin peeled off her hands after she caught the virus.
She explained how her fingers had become ‘dry and peeling’, with others also commenting that they had experienced this, with some saying both their hands and feet had peeled.
For many people, the symptoms aren’t caused by the virus itself, but by the body’s immune response to the bug.
Speaking to Vice, Professor Tim Spector, of King’s College London and the lead on the ZOE symptom tracker app said skin peeling could relate to another widely reported symptom.
He said: “It sounds similar to Covid toe, which is definitely real.
“It’s more commonly experienced on the toe but can involve the fingers. It looks like chilblains and it can also involve peeling skin. The ZOE app reported on this at a time when no one was and no one took it seriously.”
SHRIVELLED SKIN
Another strange symptom that has been reported is prune-like skin.
Diana Pardo, 23 said if she touched water her skin would shrivel up.
She explained that it started around day five of her Covid-19 infection and said her hands felt tight and dry while she rinsed her hair.
“Within minutes of showering my hands became extremely prune-y”, she added that the shrivelled texture was something she hadn’t experienced before.
HIVES
Many people have reported skin issues after catching Covid and this could be caused by an over-activation of a part of the immune system known as the ‘complement response’. This leads to blood vessel damage.
Another patient said her infection started with flu-like symptoms but that her face and skin started to itch.
Rebecca Lefevre, 31 said the rash got so bad that her lips also swelled up – and she had to call an ambulance.
She questioned medics on whether it was related to the virus and they ‘dismissed her concerns, giving her antihistmaines’.
Chilblain-like lesions along with hives are well-documented causes of Covid.
