Since covid was first identified in the UK more than two years ago, its most common symptoms have varied significantly.
Different variants have given prominence to the many signs coronavirus can cause. There’s no doubt the infection can trigger stubborn respiratory symptoms like cough and shortness of breath but one sign can also appear when you go to the toilet.
While covid is best known for symptoms like fever and sore throat, the virus can also strike in your tummy, the Express reports.
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One of the “early” symptoms that crops up on the “first day” of infection is diarrhoea, according to The Zoe Covid Study App, which keeps a track of dominant Covid symptoms through positive patients using the app. This sign caused by covid tends to be similar to the upset stomach you might get from a regular stomach bug, such as rotavirus or norovirus.
Zoe suggests that coronavirus might cause diarrhoea because the virus can invade cells in your gut and disrupt its normal function. Although the toilet sign begins on the first day of your illness, it might build in intensity during the first week.
The health app reports it tends to last for an average of two to three days but covid diarrhoea can also stick with you for up to seven days.
Zoe also said: “It’s critically important to wash your hands thoroughly and regularly clean bathrooms if you, anyone you live with or someone you’re caring for has diarrhoea to prevent the infection spreading.”
Zoe adds that other covid symptoms that may accompany the tummy symptom include headaches, loss of smell and appetite, sore throat, chest pain and cough.
While there is no legal requirement to self-isolate if you have the virus, the NHS still asks people to stay at home and avoid contact with others.
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