Rash may be Covid-19 symptom, says French skin union

The skin issues were identified as another possible sign of Covid-19, on top of other already-known symptoms such as a dry cough, fever, difficulty breathing, and a loss of smell and taste.

Read more: Covid-19: Loss of smell can be symptom

French dermatologist union Le Syndicat National des Dermatologues-Vénéréologues (SNDV) announced the possible new symptoms in a press release issued on April 6, after a SNDV WhatsApp group of more than 400 dermatologists “found evidence of skin lesions, both associated with, and not, with Covid-19”.

The release said: “These include the appearance of pseudo-frostbite of the extremities, sudden appearance of persistent redness; and sometimes painful, temporary, hive-like lesions.

“Analysis of a number of cases reported to the SNDV shows that these signs may” be associated with Covid-19, the press release said.

The SNDV advises anyone reporting such symptoms to seek healthcare advice as quickly as possible - but you are warned to not visit your GP if you think you have Covid-19 symptoms, and to only call the SAMU emergency number if the patient is struggling to breathe.

It said: “We are alerting the public and the medical establishment so that we can identify potentially-contagious patients - who may not have signs of respiratory distress - as quickly as possible.”

The SNDV is the largest dermatological association in France, and counts 1,720 independent and hospital dermatologists among its members.