How COVID-19 disease presents and how it progresses

• The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 infection appears broad, encompassing asymptomatic infection, mild upper respiratory illness, and severe viral pneumonia with respiratory failure and even death. (1)
• The incubation period for COVID-19 can extend to 14 days. The median time from exposure to the virus to the onset of symptoms was 4 to 5 days. (2)
• At the start of the disease, the most common symptoms are: fever, cough, fatigue and shortness of breath. Other less common symptoms are: headache, confusion, runny nose, sore throat, hemoptysis, vomiting and diarrhea. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, ageusia (loss of taste), and anosmia (loss of smell) may appear before developing lower respiratory tract signs and symptoms.(2) Signs skin conditions associated with COVID-19 infection, ranging from simple pruritus to acrosyndromes, have been reported by the French Society of Dermatology.(3)
• Patients developed dyspnea on average 7 days after illness onset (range: 4-10 days). (1)
• The average time from illness onset to hospitalization was 11 days (range: 8 to 15 days). (1)
• The most common complications of severe COVID-19: pneumonia, hypoxemic respiratory failure/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis and septic shock, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia, acute kidney injury, secondary bacterial infections, thromboembolism, gastrointestinal bleeding and polyneuropathy/myopathy. (2)
• The shortest observed duration of recovery among patients was 8 days, while the longest was 37 days. Patients recover in approximately 20 days. (2)

References :

(1) ZHOU, FEI, YU, TING, DU, RONGHUI, FAN, GUOHUI, LIU, YING, LIU, ZHIBO and XIANG, JIE, 2020. Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adults inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. com [online]. 2020. [Accessed April 12, 2020]. Available at :

https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930566-3

Direct link

(2) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [online]

Direct link

(3) HOPPENOT, ISABELLE, 2020. A wide variety of skin signs are associated with COVID-19 infection. VIDAL [online]. 2020. [Accessed April 12, 2020]. Available at :

https://www.vidal.fr/actualites/24686/des_signes_cutanes_tres_varies_sont_associes_

Direct link