Skin Conditions May Be an Emerging Sign of COVID-19
A few weeks ago, a friend sent me a panicked text, asking whether I thought a strange bump on her arm was a sign of coronavirus. I brushed her off, since a) I am not a doctor and b) known coronavirus symptoms, at that time, were essentially limited to cough, fever and shortness of breath. But then I started seeing more and more case reports from dermatologists around the world, describing mysterious skin conditions apparently related to COVID-19.
My friend is fine, and the bump on her arm never turned into any cause for concern—but dermatologic conditions do seem to be something to look out for in relation to coronavirus.
A Spanish study published in the British Journal of Dermatology last week laid out five skin conditions observed among a group of almost 400 suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. Almost half developed a red rash; about 20% developed hives; another 20% developed painful, reddish bumps reminiscent of frostbite; and smaller numbers developed either itchy blisters, often on the torso, or blotchy rashes indicative of blood-flow issues. The results back up prior case reports from countries including Italy, France and the U.S., where the pseudo-frostbite condition, which often strikes the extremities, even has its own nickname: “COVID toes.”
It’s not totally surprising that COVID-19 would come with dermatologic symptoms. Lots of other viral illnesses—think chickenpox and measles—result in rashes as the body’s immune response revs up. What is surprising, says NYU Langone dermatologist Dr. Alisa Femia, is the sheer range of skin conditions patients are showing up with in hospitals, exam rooms and telemedicine calls.
That range can make it difficult to know if an unusual bump is just a bump, a sign of COVID-19 or a symptom of a totally different issue. Dr. Mary Stevenson, a dermatologic surgeon who works with Femia at NYU, says it’s always best to consult a trained eye—and to stay calm.
“As long as you’re feeling well and doing well, most of these rashes would not be a sign to go into the hospital,” she says. And in the absence of more serious symptoms of COVID-19, she says, most of these skin conditions wouldn’t require any treatment beyond a little Vaseline.
More than 3.5 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 8 PM eastern time yesterday, and more than 247,000 had died.
Here is every country with over 40,000 confirmed cases:
Some nations—mostly in Europe, but also including India, Thailand, and Lebanon—started to ease lockdown restrictions today. In India, the easing of restrictions follows a nearly five-week-long, nationwide lockdown—but also comes as the number of reported COVID-19 cases has started to increase.
At a virtual summit today, the European Union and the United Nations urged world leaders to pledge billions of dollars to fund research on a COVID-19 vaccine. The target figure is 7.5 billion Euros ($8.2 billion), according to the European Union, and 7.4 billion had been pledged at the time of writing. The U.S. did not join in the pledging drive. “These funds are a kind of a down payment for developing the new tools at the speed needed,” said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the summit. “But to reach everyone, everywhere, we will likely need five times that amount. I call on all partners to join in this effort as we look to gather again in late May to sustain our momentum.”
The Associated Press, citing a report from the Department of Homeland Security, reports that U.S. officials believe China “intentionally concealed the severity” of the virus in early January in order to stockpile on medical supplies.
In the world of sports, the German soccer league has found 10 positive COVID-19 cases across the 36 clubs in its Bundesliga and second division. The league has been mass testing as it bids to start competing again this month.
The Situation in the United States
The total number of COVID-19 diagnoses in the U.S. rose to more than 1,158,000 as of 8 PM eastern time yesterday, and the death toll surpassed 67,500.
Overall, daily new cases in the U.S. are on the rise:
During a virtual town hall in front of the Lincoln Memorial yesterday evening, President Trump said the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. could reach up to 100,000. “We’re going to lose anywhere from 75,000, 80,000 to 100,000 people,” he told Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. That’s up from the 60,000 figure Trump had predicted previously. The New York Times reported today that the administration is privately projecting a steady daily rise in COVID-19 deaths, increasing to about 3,000 by June 1. The current daily death toll is about 1,700.
New Jersey today announced that schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. The news follows a similar announcement by New York State last week. Meanwhile, New York Governor. Andrew Cuomo said at today’s daily briefing that the last 24 hours saw the state’s lowest single-day death toll since March 28. Since yesterday, 226 people died from COVID-19 in New York, a decrease from the roughly 800 people who died per day in early April.
As many businesses begin reopening in some states throughout the country, Carnival Cruise Line announced today that it plans to resume sailing from the U.S. in August. It’s the first of any major U.S. cruise lines to announce such a reopening.
For the first time in history, the Supreme Court heard arguments via telephone as it kicked off two weeks of oral arguments today. Live audio of the proceedings will be provided to the public.
All numbers are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of May 3, 8 PM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
Goldman Sachs' new video series featuring insights on the implications of COVID-19 across markets, industries and the global economy.
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Maybe Beating a Coronavirus Piñata Will Make You Feel Better
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Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today’s newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and Jasmine Aguilera, and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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