COVID-19 USA Update: Patient Shares The Very First Symptom He Experienced

The coronavirus pandemic has spread like wildfire in developed countries like Germany, Spain, United States, Italy, and France. The total confirmed cases of infections in these five countries alone translates to 514,243 total patients with COVID-19 and 29,245 fatalities, over half of the global total in both instances.

Cases continue to rise in many countries around the world, and most of them have already imposed stay-at-home measures in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. An American patient, who contracted the virus while on a cruise aboard the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, has revealed the first signs he experienced.

A Cruise Vacation That Turned Into A Nightmare

Carl Goldman, a resident from California, USA and one of the passengers aboard the cruise ship, said he did not feel any symptoms until after leaving the cruise liner. Over 700 passengers and crew members of the Diamond Princess later tested positive for COVID-19, eight of whom died eventually.

Mr. Goldman, 67 years of age, spent over a week aboard the ship before he and other Americans were evacuated on a cargo plane bound for the US. He said he did not show any signs of the condition until flying back home. In an interview with Business Insider, he said his first symptom appeared two hours into the flight for America. Goldman revealed it was during this time that he woke up with a very high fever, which went over 103-degrees-Fahrenheit. This was going to be his first sign of a COVID-19 infection.

A High Temperature

The 67-year-old American said that upon knowing that he had a high temperature, a doctor wearing a hazmat suit on board his flight confirmed he had a fever. She had Goldman placed in the quarantine section of the plane.

One of the two major coronavirus symptoms is having a high fever. Anyone who is hot to touch on their back or chest should immediately self-isolate. This is to prevent infecting other persons in the community. The other major symptom of the disease is a new and continuous cough. This means coughing more than normal for an extended period, like more than one hour. It is also classified as experiencing at least three episodes of coughing within 24 hours.

A Different Kind Of Feeling

According to Goldman, his fever was so different from ailments he had experienced before. In the past, his high fever caused sweating buckets, but this time, he felt the opposite. He said even with his high temperature; he would oftentimes get sweats and chills, which he did not have in this case.

Goldman felt like it was a different type of sickness, which is so unlike a common cold or flu. He did not experience any stuffiness in his nose, no headache, and no sore throat, either.