Unexplained skin rashes ‘could be new symptom of coronavirus’

A mum who suffered with mystery rashes on her hands and feet which left doctors stumped has been told she was one of the first people in the UK to catch Covid-19.

Sarah Churchill, 36, first went to her GP with a rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath towards the end of February, when there were only 15 cases here.

In the absence of a fever or persistent cough it was thought the painful flare-ups could be a sign of blood cancer or even HIV.

But medical tests showed no ailments and it was not until months later that Sarah was told she had actually contracted coronavirus.

One of the experts behind the Covid-19 tracker app today suggested new and unexplained skin rashes could be a potential symptom of the virus after a number of users reported developing them, while Sarah warned other Brits they may have unknowingly had it too.

The mum-of-one, from Bournemouth in Dorset, said: ‘It never crossed my mind I might have got coronavirus.

‘It’s fascinating and horrible how many different symptoms there are. ‘I never thought I had Covid-19 at all.

They haven’t made it an official symptom, so there could be people out there with the coronavirus who have no idea.’

Professor Tim Spector warned GPs to ‘be suspicious’ of patients presenting with unexplained skin rashes.

He added that a skin rash may be the only symptom displayed by children infected with the virus.

The tracker app was the first to flag the loss of taste and smell as symptoms of coronavirus and each were added to the official list last month.

Ref: Metro