The most likely order in which Covid-19 symptoms occur

First the fever, then the cough, then the muscle aches and finally the gastrointestinal manifestations: it is the most frequent chronological progression of the main symptoms of Sars-Cov-2 infection. An aid for diagnosis, to be used with caution

(photo: Doble-d / iStock (Getty Images) One of the peculiarities that makes Covid-19 even more insidious and sneaky, as known since the beginning of the year, is that its main characteristic symptoms are very generic and overlap with those of several other flu-like pathologies. Consequently, when it comes to diagnosing symptomatic patients, it is very difficult to distinguish SARS-Cov-2 infection from to those caused by other viral forms, starting with the classic seasonal flu.

This theme emerged strongly already during the weeks of the first epidemic peak in Italy, and is destined to recur as central also in the coming months, when Covid-19 cases will inevitably tend to confuse and mix with other (so-called) seasonal ailments. And an increase in the daily cases of people infected with the new coronavirus (as well as in the number of patients currently positive, now back over 16 thousand in Italy) can only exacerbate this difficulty. For now, there are no definitive solutions to this problem, and the nasopharyngeal swab remains the only tool that with good reliability allows you to distinguish between one viral infection and another.