A new tell-tale sign of coronavirus is being reported by doctors

A new tell-tale sign of a coronavirus infection is being reported by doctors – and it’s rather strange.

Spanish and Italian doctors have reported that purple, bruise-like lesions appearing on the feet could be a sign of the Covid-19 virus.

The symptom seems to be more common in children and teenagers suffering from coronavirus, with cases of the patches similar to chickenpox, measles or chilblains being seen in Spain, Italy and France.

It is now said that one in five coronavirus patients in Italian hospitals have the bizarre symptom.

The Spanish General Council of Official Podiatrist Colleges have spoken out about the potential new sign.

It writes, ‘Numerous cases are being observed in different countries: Italy, France, Spain. ‘It is a curious finding that began to spread yesterday in the healthcare field, among dermatologists and podiatrists, fundamentally: the same symptoms are increasingly being detected in patients with Covid-19, especially children and adolescents, although some cases have also been detected in adults.

‘These are purple-coloured lesions (very similar to those of chickenpox, measles or chilblains) that usually appear around the toes and that usually heal without leaving marks on the skin.’

The council has urged people to keep an eye out for the marks on the skin and to also monitor the presence of common coronavirus symptoms if they are to appear.

It’s also been recommended that anyone with the lesions should self-isolate in the same way they would if they came down with symptoms like coughing or a fever.

‘The Council wants to convey a message of reassurance to parents and possible victims, given the benign nature of the lesions, and to remember that they should monitor the appearance of the other clinical symptoms characteristic of COVID-19, such as cough, fever, respiratory distress.

‘When these cases are detected by parents or relatives, the child should be kept in quarantine, isolated, and a topical corticosteroid can be applied and temperature control can be carried out, always with the reassurance that these are benign lesions with favourable evolution, but acting with caution being a possible asymptomatic carrier.’