COVID-19: Phlegm in cough top COVID signs amid rising cases

AMIDST increasing cases of COVID-19 and the virus mutating with newer variants and sub-variants, there are indications that there is also a constant shift in the common COVID symptoms people may experience when infected.

Experts, in the latest reports from The Zoe COVID Study App, said sputum or phlegm in cough is one of the “top” signs of current COVID cases to watch out for and a different type of cough could also signal that one has been infected with COVID.

Phlegm refers to the thick mucus that is secreted in the respiratory passages and discharged through the mouth. The color of phlegm can vary.

With Omicron cases on a rise worldwide, some traditional symptoms like headaches and loss of smell continue to exist. However, many of them were more common in the early stages of the pandemic.

Dry cough has been considered one of the most common COVID symptoms, and now a different type of cough could also signal that one could have been infected with COVID.

According to the app’s data, a whopping 45 percent of users have previously reported this red flag sign for COVID.

Apart from sputum in the cough, it also reports other key COVID symptoms include sore throat, runny or blocked nose, sneezing, cough without phlegm, headache, hoarse voice, muscle aches and altered sense of smell.

Meanwhile, Ifedayo Adetifa, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) director-general, on Monday during an interview on ‘The World Today’, a programme by Channels Television, said NCDC is observing all countries with increasing COVID cases.

He declared that the Federal Government had said there was no reason to impose restrictions on travellers coming to Nigeria from China even though other countries had begun to impose restrictions on travellers arriving from China.

Adetifa stated: “When we look at the data, we are seeing upticks in cases, hospitalisation and deaths in many countries in the world. The data shows an increase in cases in the UK, US, China and other countries.

“We are looking at risk across all countries where there is potential travel to and from Nigeria. The other thing we know is that there are concerns that there may be new variants; Omicron sub-variants that may also be contributing to the uptick in cases.

“I think what we need to highlight to citizens is that as far as we are concerned at the NCDC and ministry of health, we are looking at all countries where there is potential risk, not just the spotlight placed on China because of restrictions but in other places that also have uptick in cases.”

The NCDC director-general said the agency would continue to review data weekly to determine if action needs to be taken, adding, “It’s a rapidly evolving situation but we haven’t seen any reason to place restrictions.”