From a high fever to a dry cough, coronavirus is known to be associated with a range of unpleasant symptoms.
Now, new data shows that for one in five people who catch Covid-19, their only symptom is a skin rash.
In a further 17 per cent of cases a rash is the first symptom before others develop later.
The rashes manifest in various ways, including as hives or raised lumps. They have been recorded across the entire body.
The data comes from the ZOE symptom tracker app run by King’s College London (KCL) researchers which has been operational Covid throughout the pandemic.
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For one in five people who catch Covid-19 they’re only symptom is a skin rash, new data shows. Pictured, a case of ‘Covid digits’
More than 400 people submitted images, which have now been published in an online database called Covid skin signs. The range of the rashes is astonishing, manifesting in hives (pictured) or raised lumps and seen across the entire body
ZOE data found people who tested positive for Covid were 67 per cent more likely to develop a rash than someone who was uninfected.
A further independent study was done on 11,544 people who were asked to also provide pictures of their rashes.
‘Strikingly, among the respondents of the independent online survey, we found that one per cent of SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive cases reported skin rashes as the first presentation, and 21 per cent as the only clinical sign of COVID‐19,’ the researchers write.
The study was published in the British Journal of Dermatology and more than 400 people submitted images, which have now been published in an online database called Covid skin signs.
The images are categorised based on the sort of rash they are, and include ‘Covid digits’, ‘purpuric’, ‘oral’ and ‘uticarial’.
The rashes manifest in various ways, including as hives or raised lumps. They have been recorded across the entire body .
‘Skin rashes cluster with other COVID‐19 symptoms, are predictive of a positive swab test, and occur in a significant number of cases, either alone or before other classical symptoms,’ the researchers write.
Pictured, a pupuric rash which was seen on a Covid patient’s lower leg. A pupuric rash looks like lots of small spots of blood on the skin and is caused by blood vessels leaking
This individual’s rash was categorised as pityrias rosea, a type of rash that starts as a single red and scaly area which spreads across the torso and upper limbs
Oral rashes were also reported by some of the more than 400 people who submitted images of their Covid-related rashes to Covidskinsigns.com
‘Recognizing rashes is important in identifying new and earlier cases of Covid‐19.’
The coronavirus attacks several bodily systems and therefore there are a host of symptoms of Covid-19.
But only the ‘classical triad’ symptoms of a dry cough, a fever and loss of smell or taste are currently recognised by the NHS.
Loss of smell and taste was officially recognised as a symptom of Covid on May 18, 2020.
In June, KCL academics called for skin rashes to be considered the fourth official symptom of Covid.
Researchers from KCL recently again called for policymakers to extend the set of recognised symptoms.
They said extending the list of symptoms to include fatigue, sore throat, headache and diarrhoea would allow ‘millions’ of unconfirmed cases to be detected.
Current Test and Trace rules mean swabs are only reserved for people with a fever, continuous cough or loss of smell or taste.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the Zoe app, an epidemiologist at King’s College London and a co-author on the latest rash-related study, said in February: ‘We’ve known since the beginning that just focusing testing on the classic triad of cough, fever and anosmia misses a significant proportion of positive cases.
‘We identified anosmia as a symptom back in May and our work led to the Government adding it to the list; it is now clear that we need to add more.
‘By inviting any users who log any new symptoms to get a test, we confirmed that there are many more symptoms of Covid.’