Having joint discomfort? You could have COVID-19

Beijing, June 17: COVID-19 has gained international notoriety as a respiratory infection that may cause fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing but now some COVID19 patients in Beijing have developed atypical symptoms such as joint discomfort, and medical workers have been observing these unusual manifestations.

People with atypical symptoms of the infection may develop more classic symptoms as well, such as fever, muscle aches, sore throat, and trouble breathing.

Meanwhile, Ma Yanfang, head of the medical affairs department of Beijing Ditan Hospital, said that it is normal for novel coronavirus patients to have "strange" symptoms, as the virus is new and needs observation and study.

Beijing on Tuesday became a "no-go-zone" as many provincial cities raised alerts on travel to the Chinese capital which scaled up its emergency response and mass testing following a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases that reached 106.

Beijing has upgraded its emergency response COVID-19 from level III to II starting Tuesday, a local official announced.

Classes are moved online for students, and class resumption of college students will be suspended, Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, said at a press conference.

The Chinese capital reported 106 domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases since June 11 and a senior city official warned that the situation is "extremely severe" in Beijing where authorities have mounted massive containment measures including mass testing of about 90,000 people.

After Beijing's COVID-19 infections increased, it seems that the capital has now become a "no-go zone" for other parts of China, as many places have raised alert on travels to Beijing and strengthened health check on arrivals from Beijing, state-run Global Times reported.