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Coronavirus body temperature fever and the coronavirus businesses screen customer temperature

James McGinnis

Parx Casino blocks entry to body temperatures above 100.3 degrees. Dorney Park recently set the limit at 100.4 degrees.

With millions of Americans returning to work and the country reopening in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, temperature checks have become a daily routine. Fever is one many possible symptoms of COVID-19, and businesses are turning away workers and customers at certain temperatures.

Yet, the commonly held “normal” body temperature of 98.6 degrees is a misnomer, experts said. Numerous factors can raise body temperature, including wearing a mask.

“The hot air inside your mask can create a false positive body temperature elevation, especially if using an oral thermometer,” said Dr. Mohamad Moussa, program director of emergency medicine at the University of Toledo College of Medicine.

“A body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the number that most people are familiar with but baseline temperatures can range between 96 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit,” Moussa said.

How body temperature became a hot topic

In 1871, the German scientist Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich published “On the temperature in diseases: A manual in medical thermometry.”

The book is a massive. Across 445 pages, Wunderlich documents the way our bodies heat and cool as we battle specific injuries, infections and disease.

“The temperature of humans is almost constantly the same, although not absolutely so,” Wunderlich wrote. In pneumonia, he noted that some patients heat up to 101.3 degrees, or, what Wunderlich termed, “the lower limits of moderate fever.“

Some 149 years later, body temperature remains elusive. Even less is known about female body temperature because, for decades, women were excluded from most clinical research.

In 1993, Congress passed a law requiring “inclusion of women and racial and ethnic groups” in taxpayer-funded research. Before that time, white males were considered the “prototype of the human research subject.”

Six months ago, researchers published one of the largest ever studies of body temperature, including both genders. Scientists recorded 115,149 body temperature measurements at Beth Israel Deaconess emergency room in Boston.

Body heat changed by time of day, the day of the week and the time of year. Other factors included age, diet, hormones and sleep patterns.

That study pegged the average body temperature at 98.1 degrees and concluded that “the commonly heard normal body temperature of 37.0°C (98.6°F) has no meaningful basis and should be abandoned.“

Another study, published in 2018, included body temperature readings from a single female subject, who agreed to track her body temperature every day for 30 years.

Her temperature changed with menstrual cycle and the onset of menopause. Researchers even noted a slight temperature shift after she adjusted the clocks for Daylight Savings Time.

The fight against coronavirus

As war against COVID-19 rages on, Americans should remember that body temperature is just one of many possible symptoms, Moussa noted.

The FDA has also cautioned against temperature checks as a sufficient measure against COVID-19. Outside of an initial check, the administration notes that “temperature measurements alone may miss more than half of infected people.“

Two to 14 after exposure to COV-19, symptoms can include breathing difficulty, congestion, fatigue, headache, muscle ache, nausea, sore throat and a sudden loss of taste or smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Masks, social distancing and self-isolation are recommended if you believe you have been exposed.

Many things, including the onset of flu season, could lead to more people developing fever in the coming months.

“A sudden panic, eating, exercising, and excessive clothing all can contribute to higher body temperatures,” Moussa said. “The key is to be aware of any sustained temperature elevation and determine the cause. A health care provider can assist in this, as the causes of fevers and hyperthermia are vast.”