Introduction
Lionel Messi, one of the world’s greatest soccer players, recently tested positive for COVID-19. While it’s not known exactly how he contracted the virus, it’s important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the virus so that you can take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and those around you. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the signs that you may have had COVID-19, like Lionel Messi, and provide tips on how to stay safe.
Signs You Had COVID Like Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, the world-renowned soccer star, recently tested positive for COVID-19. While it’s impossible to know for sure if he had any of the common symptoms associated with the virus, there are some signs that could indicate he had it. Here are some of the signs you may have had COVID like Lionel Messi.
1. Fever
One of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 is a fever. If you have had a fever of 100.4°F or higher, it could be a sign that you have had the virus. Messi reportedly had a fever when he tested positive for the virus.
2. Cough
Another common symptom of COVID-19 is a cough. If you have had a persistent cough that won’t go away, it could be a sign that you have had the virus. Messi reportedly had a cough when he tested positive for the virus.
3. Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath is another common symptom of COVID-19. If you have had difficulty breathing or have felt like you can’t catch your breath, it could be a sign that you have had the virus. Messi reportedly had difficulty breathing when he tested positive for the virus.
4. Loss of Taste or Smell
Loss of taste or smell is another common symptom of COVID-19. If you have had a sudden loss of taste or smell, it could be a sign that you have had the virus. Messi reportedly had a loss of taste and smell when he tested positive for the virus.
5. Fatigue
Fatigue is another common symptom of COVID-19. If you have had an unexplained feeling of tiredness or exhaustion, it could be a sign that you have had the virus. Messi reportedly had fatigue when he tested positive for the virus.
If you have had any of these symptoms, it could be a sign that you have had COVID-19 like Lionel Messi. It’s important to seek medical attention if you think you may have the virus. Stay safe and take all necessary precautions to protect yourself and others.
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi is opening up about his struggles with long COVID, months after being infected in January. “It left me with after effects. It left me with after effects in my lungs. I came back and it was like a month and a half without even being able to run because my lungs were affected,” Messi says. “I came back before I should have, and it got worse because I went too fast and it ended up setting me back. But I couldn’t take it anymore, I wanted to run, to train—I wanted to get going. And in the end, it got worse.” Here are five signs you had COVID like Messi, according to experts. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Messi’s particular symptom of long COVID is not unusual, doctors say. “Recovery from lung damage takes time,” says lung disease expert Panagis Galiatsatos, M.D., M.H.S. “There’s the initial injury to the lungs, followed by scarring. Over time, the tissue heals, but it can take three months to a year or more for a person’s lung function to return to pre-COVID-19 levels. Lung healing in of itself can produce symptoms. It is similar to a leg bone breaking, needing a cast for months, and having the cast come off. No one would expect to begin to run right away with the newly-healed leg bone. As the leg strengthens and muscle re-grows, patients will experience discomfort from this healing. This is what our lungs go through, too!”
COVID-19 can cause bronchitis and pneumonia, sepsis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, doctors say. “In COVID-19-related bronchitis, this is an issue of an excessive amount of sputum produced in the airways, resulting in coughing and chest congestion,” says Dr. Galiatsatos. “The sputum also narrows the airways, making breathing more difficult. As for the bronchitis, patients may experience a cough that stays with them for months after the initial infection. This frequent cough and ongoing chest congestion may have an impact on one’s quality of life.”
A recent study shows post-COVID abnormalities could be caused by microscopic damage to the lungs. “It is the first study to demonstrate lung abnormalities in [people with long Covid] who are breathless and where other investigations are unremarkable,” says Dr Emily Fraser, a consultant at Oxford university hospitals and a co-author of the study. “It does suggest the virus is causing some kind of persistent abnormality within the microstructure of the lungs or in the pulmonary vasculature.”
Long-term lung damage after getting infected with the virus could last years, experts warn. “These patients have never been in hospital and did not have an acute severe illness when they had their Covid-19 infection,” says Professor Fergus Gleeson, radiologist at Oxford university hospitals NHS foundation trust and the study’s chief investigator. “Some of them have been experiencing their symptoms for a year after contracting Covid-19.”
Being fully up to date with vaccinations and boosters can help prevent long COVID complications, experts say. “If you haven’t been vaccinated and boosted, and certainly if you’re over 50 or 60, or if you have some other significant medical issues, you should be very concerned,” says Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. “If you’re fully vaccinated, including a booster, you should be pretty confident that you’re not going to get very sick if you do get an infection.”
Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated or boosted ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.
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