What do COVID symptoms look like this year?
(WGN Radio) – With every new season comes a new variant of COVID – or so it seems.
Over the past several weeks, KP.3.1.1, which is one of the FLiRT subvariants of the virus, has become more common. It now makes up a majority of COVID-19 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
Have the changing variants brought changing symptoms associated with COVID-19? The fundamentals haven't changed, experts say, as the virus still causes respiratory illness. However, that can make things confusing heading into fall and winter, when flu and RSV are likely to spike too.
"While it is a different variant, it's starting to look a lot more like the flu-like symptoms: the cough, the sore throat, the runny nose, the sneezing and the muscle aches," said Dr. Jim Adams, chief medical officer of Northwestern Medicine, in an interview with WGN Radio. "So it's harder to differentiate."
One set of symptoms people are paying more attention to lately has to do with the gut.
"Personally, I've seen a lot of people this summer with COVID with a lot of GI (symptoms) – stomach pains, diarrhea – but we've known that's always been possible," Adams said.
Even though stomach issues aren't what we talk about most in terms of COVID symptoms, they affect about half of people infected with the virus, according to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
How COVID impacts people varies person-to-person. While some may lose their sense of smell or be bed-ridden, some may hardly feel anything or confuse it with the common cold.
"It's hard to differentiate COVID vs. non-COVID based on symptoms now," Adams said. Taking a COVID test when you feel sick can help you get answers – and better treatment, if necessary.
Listen to more of the interview with Dr. Adams in the audio player below:
COVID-related hospitalizations finally appear to be dipping after the prolonged summer spike, but it's not yet clear what will happen with the virus' spread as we head into fall and the holiday season.
"We don't know what (COVID) going to do in the fall," said Adams. "Every year is different."
Flu and COVID booster shots, updated to targeted this year's variants, are available at pharmacies and doctors' offices. The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older receive both.
Date: | |
Tag: | Covid |
-
The New York Times - Health
Widowed and Looking for Love, Like the Golden Bachelorette
“The Golden Bachelorette” offers a glimpse at how dating changes after losing the love of your life. This is what it’s really like.7 hours ago -
Los Angeles Times - Entertainment
Jorge Garcia looks back at 'Lost' 20 years later and the role of a lifetime
Jorge Garcia talks 20th anniversary of 'Lost' and his role as Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes, the cursed lottery winner and crash survivor of Oceanic Flight 815.21 hours ago -
NBC News - Top stories
OK, so there was an interest rate cut. What do I do now?
The Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday to lower its key interest rate by half a percentage point brought some clarity to the country’s top financial decision-makers, sending stocks surging to ...2 days ago -
CNBC - Business
More men in their prime working years are neither working nor looking for jobs — here's why
Men have been steadily dropping out of the workforce — especially men ages 25 to 54, who are considered to be in their prime working years.23 hours ago -
CNBC - Business
68-year-old retiree pays $460 a month to live by a lake in Mexico: ‘I found the peace and tranquility I was looking for’
Janet Blaser, who moved to Mexico in 2006, relocated from Mazatlán to San Antonio Tlayacapan, where she found a cute 2-bedroom yellow house with a yard.Yesterday -
CBS News - Top stories
How a 12-year-old girl who escaped a serial killer likely saved other lives
In 1994, Becky Savarese was walking to school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, when Lewis Lent tried to abduct her. He was arrested and later confessed to killing at least two other children, ...2 days ago -
The New York Times - Lifestyle
At 83, the Costume Designer Pat Field Still Heeds Her Family’s Advice
The costume designer of “Sex and the City” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” now 83, still heeds her family’s advice.55 minutes ago
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Wendy Sherman says escalating tensions in Middle East are ‘quite serious’
Former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said the escalating tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Hezbollah are “quite serious.” “I see the state of play as quite serious,” she said ...50 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
North Carolina Democrat on his opponent: ‘Robinson exists because Donald Trump has lifted him up’
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D), the state’s Democratic candidate for governor, said in a Sunday interview that candidates should be held accountable for continuing to support his ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Could a powerful solar flare wipe out life on Earth?
Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, can cause both the northern lights and widespread telecommunications disruptions. But could a powerful CME end the human race?1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
We can reverse the rise of extremism and hate, but only if we offer a path to redemption
Criminal justice reform that tackles the root causes of hate and provides redemption pathways for young offenders must be a priority.1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
Ohio Democrat tells Walz to ‘be yourself’ ahead of VP debate
Former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said Sunday that Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) should “be himself” in his upcoming debate against Republican challenger Sen. JD Vance ...1 hour ago