Coronavirus: How does COVID pneumonia look like, know the basic symptoms

COVID pneumonia is a serious health condition which can wreak havoc on the lungs. It is one of the severe cases of COVID attack which can be fatal. COVID pneumonia is different from pneumonia as in the former the coronavirus takes over both the lungs at the same time unlike in the latter in which the infection can either be one of the lungs or in both.

In COVID pneumonia the lungs fill with fluid, thus limiting their capacity to take in oxygen. This leads to shortness of breath and cough mostly.

It is pertinent to understand the various symptoms associated with COVID pneumonia so as to ensure it is diagnosed early and the patient receives timely medical assistance.

"In pneumonia, the lungs become filled with fluid and inflamed, leading to breathing difficulties. For some people, breathing problems can become severe enough to require treatment at the hospital with oxygen or even a ventilator. The pneumonia that COVID-19 causes tends to take hold in both lungs. Air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid, limiting their ability to take in oxygen and causing shortness of breath, cough and other symptoms," experts at John Hopkins Medicine say.

Other health experts have warned that unlike the general pneumonia, COVID pneumonia spreads like a wildfire, persists in the lungs longer and causes more harm.

The fact that it remains in the lungs for a longer period of time, is what gives the virus more time to harm the body, experts say.

The various symptoms seen during COVID pneumonia are:

• Dry cough or cough with thick phlegm
• Breathing difficulty
• Rapid heartbeat
• Increased body temperature
• Sweating
• Shivering
• Loss of appetite
• Chest pain
• Blood cough
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Wheezing

Several other symptoms can also be seen along with these symptoms depending on what other health complications the patient is having.

The intensity of the symptoms seen in individuals varies from person to person. It is also possible that few patients may experience more than one symptom.

After COVID or during COVID, if you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, it is advisable to visit a doctor and seek medical help.

Read: Doctors find early pandemic survivors still showing symptoms 2 years later; know these long COVID symptoms

Older people are at a higher risk of getting COVID pneumonia and those above 80 years of age are at the highest risk.

Those with weak immune systems are likely to experience the severity of COVID. As per studies close to 15% of COVID cases turn into serious cases. COVID pneumonia is one such serious outcome of COVID. Smokers, those being treated for cancer, who have AIDS and those who are on medications that tend to compromise the immune system are more likely to experience severe COVID.