Doctors battling a severe surge of Covid in India have found new potential symptoms of the virus.
The most recognised signs to look out for are a persistent cough, high temperature and a loss of taste and smell.
Some sufferers have also reported fatigue, headaches and diarrhoea, and a string of other “symptoms” have also emerged during the pandemic.
And doctors in Bengaluru, in India’s Karnataka state, now believe an extremely dry mouth could be a new tell-tale sign of infection.
Meanwhile irritation and an itching or vague sensation of pain in the tongue, or less commonly mouth ulcers, could also point towards the virus.
Dr GB Sattur treated a man, aged 55, who had “extreme dryness of the mouth” and conjunctivitis when being admitted to hospital, he told local media.
Have you experienced any of the symptoms Dr Sattur has pinpointed? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk
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“I had read that conjunctivitis can be one of the symptoms of Covid. Though he didn’t have a fever, he said that he was tired,” the doctor added, with the man later testing positive for Covid.
Dr Sattur advised anyone who has symptoms to do with the mouth, as well as severe general weakness, to go for a test.
He speculated that the new symptoms may be due to the mutated strains, including those first identified in India, Brazil and South Africa.
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“Doctors should keep an eye on tongue complaints and not ignore them,” Dr Sattur said.
“The government must do more genome sequencing to understand the variants better.”
A similar symptom referred to as ‘Covid tongue’ has previously been described in the UK.
Gabriel Scally, a public health physician and president of epidemiology and public health at Royal Society of Medicine, told The Sun: “Symptoms in the mouth have been described for some time in association with Covid-19.”
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Dr Sattur’s warnings come as lockdown lifts in England to allow people to mix indoors, with pubs, restaurants and cafes finally reopening.
Pubs are back open and welcoming indoor diners and drinkers for the first time since November.
People can also resume hugging, according to the government roadmap, with people also allowed to head to the cinema and theatre as well.
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Boris Johnson said last week the final stages of lockdown easing on June 21 could be delayed as the Indian variant continues to spread throughout Britain.
Sage scientists are reported to fear the mutation could be up to 50 percent more transmissible than current strains present in the country.
India is currently being ravaged by a second wave with infections having reached nearly 24.7 million on Sunday, increasing by 311,170 new cases over the previous 24 hours, while deaths rose by 4,077.
The country’s tally stands at 24.68 million with the death toll at 270,284, health ministry data showed.