Signs You Have COVID, Like Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant, star of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Paddington, and the new HBO series The Undoing, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and revealed he had coronavirus (COVID-19) in the winter. He shared his list of symptoms with the host. Although Grant did so partly in jest—cracking jokes about the "completely deserted" Shining-like hotel he was in, due to the recent London lockdown—his COVID signs were not entirely uncommon, and they are ones you should watch out for. Read on to see what he went through, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.
You Might Break Out Into a Sweat
"It started as a very strange syndrome where I kept breaking into a terrible sweat; it was like a poncho of sweat, embarrassing really," Grant told Colbert. The CDC lists fever and chills, as well as body aches, as official symptoms of COVID-19; any of those might result in sweating, as your body fights the virus.
Your Eyeballs Might Feel "Too Big"
"And then my eyeballs felt about three sizes too big." COVID-19 can affect your eyes in a few ways. First of all, the virus can enter your body through the eyes. And during the infections, it can cause "enlarged, red blood vessels, swollen eyelids, excessive watering and increased discharge," according to the Mayo Clinic. Additionally, "coronavirus may cause a pink eye infection (conjunctivitis)," reports the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "If you have pink eye, don't panic. Simply call your ophthalmologist to let them know and follow their instructions for care."
He Felt Pressure on His Chest
Grant also described "the feeling as though some enormous man was sitting on my chest — Harvey Weinstein or someone." "A person may have mild symptoms for about one week, then worsen rapidly," warns Harvard Health. "Let your doctor know if your symptoms quickly worsen over a short period of time. Also call the doctor right away if you or a loved one with COVID-19 experience any of the following emergency symptoms: trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion or inability to arouse the person, or bluish lips or face."
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You Might Lose Your Sense of Smell
Grant continued: "Then I was walking down a street one day, and I thought, 'I can't smell a damn thing,' and you start to panic because, by then, people had just started to talk about this as a symptom." Grant said he even smelled garbage cans and "stranger's armpits" to make sure he had truly lost his sense of smell. "I couldn't smell anything…I eventually went home and sprayed my wife's Chanel No. 5 directly into my face. I couldn't smell a thing but I did go blind." "Up to 80% of people who test positive for COVID-19 have subjective complaints of smell or taste loss," reports Vanderbilt University. The scientific name for losing your sense of smell is anosmia. "That percentage rises when these patients are tested using objective methods that measure smell function. Most patients first notice problems with their sense of smell, but because smell is necessary to taste flavor, the symptoms are often connected."
Grant Has Been Under Lockdown, and Will be for the Month
"We're all supposed to be in our homes but I've never seen the streets more thronged with people," Grant said. "It's supposed to be no restaurants, no bars, no shops—but every shop seems to think it's essential. Florists are open." He's quarantined with his children, including daughters who enjoy their Barbies. "I realized even after my girls went to bed, I was still playing with the Barbies," he joked. "I enjoyed making them fall in love….and they developed an affair. I took photographs of them and sent them to friends. That's what happens in a really long lockdown. You get desperate, you know." Call your doctor if you experience any symptoms like Grant's, and besides using humor to get through the pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
