Patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia may have a cough with sputum, but most patients present with a dry cough without sputum, especially early in the onset of the disease, within the first week of illness, with fever and a dry cough. It is usually a low fever accompanied by a dry cough. In severe cases, the patient may show symptoms such as malaise, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and itchy throat. In some patients, the symptoms worsen after the 2nd week of illness and the temperature may exceed 38.3℃. Some patients may present with cough and sputum, but the early stage of the disease is usually a dry cough without sputum. Some patients have chronic lung disease, such as chronic bronchitis and other respiratory tract infections. If infected with a novel coronavirus, they may present with a cough and coughing sputum. In the later stages of the disease, if the onset of cough and sputum has been present for more than 10 days and the temperature peaks, the presence of other infections secondary to the respiratory tract, such as bacterial infections, should also be considered. Inpatients who suddenly develop a cough with increased sputum are considered for nosocomial acquired pneumonia, a new bacterial infection. In nosocomial acquired pneumonia there are drug-resistant bacterial infections with more pronounced cough and sputum symptoms. In contrast, in novel coronavirus pneumonia itself, the early presentation is mainly a dry cough without sputum. Content source: Dr. Yurei