Shortness of breath
The CDC says that this symptom affects between 3 percent and 31 percent of patients in hospitals. A study in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents (IJAA) puts the number at 34.5 percent, making it the third most common symptom of the new coronavirus.
The IJAA article reports that COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit were more likely to have dyspnea than people who did not end up in the ICU.
Respiratory symptoms are one of the main features of COVID-19, with many patients developing pneumonia and some even requiring oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation. Fatigue has also been recognized as a common symptom, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating this affects 38.1 percent of patients.
