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Conjunctivitis may be a sign of a coronavirus infection. According to a Kirkland nurse, where an outbreak of the virus has appeared among nursing home patients, the infection is accompanied by visible redness of the eyes. This symptom was included in the WHO COVID-19 report.
In an interview with CNN, nurse Chelsey Earnest, who dealt with coronavirus-infected patients at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, says her observations show that the most common symptom of COVID-19 – apart from coughing and rapid breathing – was conjunctivitis . In all the sick people she came into contact with, the appearance of the infection was revealed in her eyes.
“We had patients whose red eyes were the only symptom we noticed, and then they went to the hospital and died,” says the nurse.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology in a statement posted on its website confirms: “There are reports that COVID-19 can lead to conjunctivitis – redness of the eyes and the area around them.” He recommends that ophthalmologists be extremely careful when examining patients.
Similar information is also provided by the Polish Ophthalmological Society:
Ophthalmic symptoms that may appear in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection result from the presence of the virus in the tear film and the secretion of the conjunctival sac. So far, only cases of conjunctivitis and conjunctival edema caused by the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been reported.
Conjunctivitis is also mentioned among the symptoms of COVID-19 in its February report by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the data contained therein, inflammation within the eyes was found in 0,8%. coronavirus patients. Is it the least frequent symptom among those included by the WHO. The others are:
- fever (87,9%),
- dry cough (67,7%),
- fatigue (38,1%),
- expectoration of sputum (33,4%) – including bloody sputum (0,9%),
- breathlessness (18,6%)
- sore throat (13,9%),
- headache (13,6%),
- muscle and joint pain (14,8%),
- chills (11,4%)
- nausea and vomiting (5%),
- nasal obstruction (4,8%),
- diarrhea (3,7%).
The College of Optometrists explains that any upper respiratory infection can cause viral conjunctivitis as a complication – this is also the case of COVID-19. However, the likelihood that viral conjunctivitis secondary to COVID-19 will occur without other symptoms (fever, cough) is low.
Also read: A sudden loss of smell may indicate a coronavirus infection
The arrival of a coronavirus outbreak in a Kirkland nursing home was an experience Chelsey Earnest had not had in her entire 20-year career.
– It was like a war zone, I was in control of every room, every patient. If there were no patients in a given room, I would lock it and tape it [the door], says a nurse at CNN.
At least 129 people have contracted the virus. They included patients, staff, and people visiting their relatives in the nursing home. According to CDC and Life Care Center data, 29 people associated with the nursing home, including 18 patients, died as a result of the infection. The average age of the victims was 80.
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Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers.
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