Georgia is facing what may turn out to be the biggest summer COVID year in two years, driven in large part by the latest, highly contagious variants. The federal Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved updated COVID vaccines to better target the circulating variant and they could appear on store shelves within days.
But for those already feeling sick, here’s what you need to know:
Q: What are the symptoms of COVID now?
The symptoms of the latest iterations of the coronavirus are similar to previous strains and include the following:
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Congestion
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Muscle Aches
- Fever or chills
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Dr. Luke Lathrop, an emergency room physician and chief medical officer at SmartMED Drive-Thru Medical Care in Roswell said he is seeing all of these symptoms during this surge of COVID, but says sore throat, fatigue and fever have been especially common this summer.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Q: Have COVID symptoms changed?
COVID’s symptoms have changed since early in the pandemic. Now, people are less likely to lose their sense of taste and smell. The symptoms are also milder for most — meaning it can be easy to confuse the symptoms for other illnesses like a cold or allergy or an upset stomach.
Doctors report seeing a gradual decline in the severity of symptoms because of widespread immunity from infections, vaccines or both.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the types of symptoms and how severe they are now usually depend more on a person’s immunity and overall health rather than that variant caused the infection.
But even relatively mild illnesses can disrupt lives and make people sick — and contagious — for several days.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Q: You or a family member woke up feeling lousy. Is it the flu or COVID? Does it matter?
You can’t tell the difference between flu and COVID by symptoms alone because they can be so similar, according to the CDC.
Compared to the flu, symptoms of COVID can be more serious and severe illness is more frequent. Older adults and people of any age with underlying medical conditions are more vulnerable to serious complications from COVID.
Dr. Andrew Reisman, a Gainesville doctor, urges people to be aware of any cold-like symptoms and to not assume it’s just a head cold or sinus infection.
Instead, he said if you are sick, “you have to assume it’s COVID unless proven otherwise.”
Q: So you think it’s COVID: What now?
If you think you have the virus, doctors advise isolation to protect others around you.
“As somebody who is tasked with protecting people’s health and protecting my patients’ health, it is very irritating that some people don’t think about other folks and they are like COVID is no big deal, but it is far more contagious than other viruses,” Reisman said in a recent interview. “You don’t want to get everyone sick where you work. And you could end up killing someone who doesn’t have as strong as an immune system as you.”
Q. Do COVID patients still need to isolate? For how long?
The CDC in March updated its guidelines on when people can return to their normal activities after any viral illness such as the flu or COVID. You can go back to your normal activities when:
- For at least 24 hours your symptoms are getting better overall, and
- For at least 24 hours you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
When you go back to your normal activities, take added precautions over the next 5 days, such as wearing a mask, hand-washing and physical distancing. Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better.
If you develop a fever or you start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again until for at least 24 hours your symptoms are improving overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Then take added precautions for the next 5 days.
Editor’s note: This file has been updated to reflect the FDA’s approval on Thursday for the updated vaccine formulas
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