key: cord-1022874-h2qapgah
authors: Verma, Renuka; Ramphul, Kamleshun; Kumar, Nomesh; Lohana, Petras
title: Investigating the impact of search results for fever, headache, cough, diarrhea, and nausea on the incidence of COVID-19 in India using Google Trends
date: 2021-05-12
journal: Acta Biomed
DOI: 10.23750/abm.v92i2.11754
sha: b2c2b52c84ea41c138de83ad9c3591513c076146
doc_id: 1022874
cord_uid: h2qapgah

nan

(r=0.950, 95% C.I: 0.860-0.983). The correlation for the fever, headache, cough, diarrhea, and nausea for the same week were 0.802 (95% C.I: 0.513-0.928), 0.845(95% C.I: 0.605-0.945), 0.902 (95% C.I: 0.736-0.965), 0.763 (95% C.I: 0.434-0.913), and 0.413 (95% C.I: -0.100-0.752) each respectively. The correlations for each symptom and the new cases seen in the subsequent first, second, and third weeks are shown in Table  1 . The correlations for fever, headache, and diarrhea became stronger from week zero to three as they each tended to approach one. The correlation for cough first rose for week one, but eventually decreased between weeks two and three. The data for nausea was statistically not significant.

A real time-analysis using the most common symptoms of an infectious disease can be a beneficial tool in preparing a community against a future outbreak. In their analysis for Italy, Lippi et al. found statistically significant correlations within a three-week delay for fever and cough (1) . Headache showed the strongest correlation in our study over the different time frames. The changes and the rise in cases can also be closely linked with the level of discomfort and desire for the individuals to seek medical help and be tested. Nausea is usually a short-lasting symptom, and it showed no statistical significance in predicting any changes in new number of cases of COVID-19. Our study also showed that the correlation of cough was strongest after one week, but eventually, decreased. This could also be related to the level of discomfort pushing the individuals to seek medication at home or the hospital.

Several reports have suggested that COVID-19 patients can be stigmatized in some areas in India (3) . The authorities are encouraged to readdress these questions at different levels:

• Can patients link their symptoms with a possible COVID-19 diagnosis?

• Are patients hesitant to seek help because of social stigmatization?

• Are patients unwilling to seek help and be tested because of costs?

• Are patients afraid to be diagnosed with COVID-19 because of its mortality rate?

Google Trends for fever, headache, cough, and diarrhea can be a useful tool during a pandemic. Careful monitoring of the changes can help identify potential outbreaks of COVID-19, and identify any issues between appearance and symptoms and being diagnosed.

Each author declares that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g. consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangement etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. 

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