by There are many viruses circulating this winter, including COVID-19, making people sick across the country.
“COVID has continued to circulate throughout the year, and we are starting to see patterns where there is a marked increase in activity in the winter,” said Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. Medical Center.
This isn’t surprising, Snyder said. In the colder months, we are more likely to socialize indoors, where germs can spread more easily. Children go back to school, where they exchange germs with each other, and cold temperatures also increase virus spread.
Nationally, “emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are increasing,” Snyder said.
You’ll likely hear of more people becoming infected with COVID this winter, and you need to know what symptoms to look for to protect yourself and your loved ones. Below, doctors share the most common symptoms of COVID infection this season.
Coughing, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and fever are all hallmark symptoms of COVID.
According to Dr. Dawn Nolt, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Oregon Health and Science University, many of the most common COVID symptoms are the ones we all know well at this point, like coughing and shortness of breath.
You may also have fever, chills, congestion, runny nose, sore throat and body aches, Snyder said.
Feeling tired is also a common sign.
“Many patients report an overwhelming feeling of fatigue, often severe enough to interfere with their daily tasks and activities,” Dr. Janet Nwaukoni, a primary care physician from Chicago, said in an email to HuffPost.
When you are sick, don’t force yourself to do things that you could otherwise easily do when you are healthy. Instead, you should prioritize rest, Nolt said.
One symptom that people don’t really experience? Loss of taste and smell.
“I think the one thing we’re not seeing is the loss of smell or taste that people often talked about early in the pandemic,” Nolt explains.
These symptoms have not occurred since early 2022, when the omicron variant became available, she added.
Photographer Basak Gurbuz Derman via Getty Images
If you feel sick, you should take a COVID test.
If you’re not feeling well, it’s a good idea to get a COVID test, regardless of whether you have mild symptoms or more serious problems. A number of winter illnesses have symptoms that overlap with those of COVID-19, but there is an antiviral treatment specifically for COVID that can help you feel better faster.
Antiviral treatment is especially important for people who are at greater risk of serious infection. That includes the elderly and people with underlying health conditions, Snyder said.
“For antiviral treatment to work, you need to take it earlier in the course of the disease. The longer you wait, the less likely it is to be successful,” Snyder said. In other words, it is important to find out if you have COVID as soon as possible.
According to Snyder, you won’t necessarily have all of the above symptoms. You may have one, or more, he said, “but those are all typical symptoms of COVID-19.” For some people, their infection will cause no symptoms at all, while others will become sick enough to end up in the hospital. That’s another reason why it’s important to get tested.
To stay healthy, get the most recent COVID shot if you haven’t already.
“We have a seasonal COVID vaccine for 2024-2025 and it is recommended for everyone six months and older,” Snyder said.
The latest shot could help reduce the chance of you getting the virus – and if you do get sick, it could help prevent complications that could otherwise lead to hospitalization and even death.
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“The main reason to get the vaccine is to keep you healthy, and if you get sick with COVID despite having the vaccine, it is certain that you will not be as sick as you would have been because the vaccine helps with preparation. your immune system to respond,” Snyder said.
Research shows the vaccine also reduces your risk of developing long-term COVID. The shots are available at pharmacies including CVS and Walgreens. You can also visit vaccines.gov to see where you can get vaccinated locally.
In addition to vaccination, hand washing is also important, Nwaukoni noted. Plus, wearing a mask in public can help you avoid getting sick, whether it’s from COVID or another winter virus.
