A new study conducted by a team of researchers has successfully identified six distinct types of coronavirus. The new breakthrough finding has raised hope in containing COVID-19, as it will help to save lives by flagging the highest-risk patients. Researchers who took part in this study made this conclusion after analyzing thousands of coronavirus cases using artificial intelligence software. The analysis helped scientists to identify different clusters of symptoms, and ranked them in order of severity.
Coronavirus symptoms and its degree of severity
The new study found that headache and loss of smell are common in all six groupings, but the range of symptoms widely vary after that. According to researchers, people suffering from the sixth type of COVID-19 are ten times more likely to end up using breath support equipment.
The new ranking system is expected to pick patients who are at a higher risk of developing complications, and it will help medical experts to intervene earlier. According to this study carried out by a symptom tracker app, the least severe categories of the virus infection is usually characterized by mild symptoms associated with flu. Gastrointestinal problems usually dominate the third category, while the fourth, fifth and sixth categories will be characterized by fatigue, confusion, and respiratory issues.
"These findings have important implications for the care and monitoring of people who are most vulnerable to severe Covid-19. If you can predict who these people are at day five, you have time to give them support and early interventions such as monitoring blood oxygen and sugar levels, and ensuring they are properly hydrated – simple care that could be given at home, preventing hospitalizations and saving lives," said Dr Claire Steves, a scientist at King's College London, The Telegraph reports.
Coronavirus latest statistics
Coronavirus, which initially had its origin in Wuhan, China, has already killed more than 6,00,000 people worldwide. With more than 1.4 million positive cases, COVID-19 is continuing to wreak havoc in all nooks of the planet.
India is currently placed in the third spot in the coronavirus chaos chart. According to the latest statistics, there are 1,040,746 positive cases in the country, and the total number of deaths has already crossed 26,200.
