Health

COVID-19 Signs and Symptoms

2. Fatigue

Chicago Health Magazine

Fatigue, or the general feeling of being energy-depleted, worse than just tired, is another typical symptom for many different illnesses, especially those caused by an infection.  A person with a viral or bacterial infection will have his or her immune system working on overdrive.  This means most of one’s energy supply will be spent fighting the virus or bacteria.  Dealing with the infection, while at the same time trying to keep up with the normal daily tasks, will definitely exhaust one’s energy stores, resulting in fatigue. 

A person who is fatigued will often feel the need to rest, or will feel sleepy, even at times of the day when he or she would normally be wide awake.  This is one of the body’s ways of inducing healing. Sleep is the condition during which the body recharges its energy stores.  It is during sleep that the body will most effectively do repairs on the damages to itself brought about by everyday wear and tear, and especially the damages brought about by illness.

Since fatigue is a symptom common amongst many illnesses, this symptom is to be used only as an initial indicator, and not to be taken as a lone confirmatory indicator of COVID-19.  Check for the other signs and symptoms listed in this article, to get a better idea if what you are suffering is COVID-19 or a different illness.  Some cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection will not manifest any fatigue or malaise, or will even be completely asymptomatic (will not manifest any symptoms), and thus it is best to always practice safety measures to ensure nobody transmits bodily fluids to anyone else, and thereby reduce the possibility of viral transmission.