These Are the 2 Most Common COVID Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing Right Now

When you’re feeling under the weather, it often isn’t immediately obvious what you’ve come down with. Some different types of illnesses have overlapping symptoms, including ones that are going around right now, like COVID, the common cold and the flu.

Though the pandemic is largely behind most of us, it’s still important to know if you have COVID and to act accordingly if you do so you can keep yourself and others safe. Contrary to what some may think, getting COVID can still be a big deal and can cause serious health consequences for those who are immunocompromised, including senior adults, babies, pregnant women and individuals with pre-existing health conditions.

Since the COVID variants keep evolving, it can be hard to know what the current most common symptoms are. Here, a doctor shares the most common COVID symptoms he’s seeing right now and what to do if you are experiencing them.

Related: Can You Get Your COVID Booster and Flu Shot at the Same Time? Here’s What Doctors Say

The 2 Most Common COVID Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing Right Now

Dr. Brian Blank, MD, a family medicine physician and founder of Ember Modern Medicine, says that without a doubt the two most common COVID symptoms he is seeing right now are a head cold and sore throat. This is typically accompanied by a runny nose. The reason why COVID causes a sore throat is because it’s an upper respiratory viral infection. This means it affects the upper airways, causing them to become irritated, which can then lead to a sore throat.

Curious why getting COVID makes your nose run? This is because anything that irritates the inside of the nose can cause a runny nose—including upper respiratory viral infections. When the lining of the nose becomes inflamed, it causes an increase in mucus production. One of the most common ways COVID is contracted is through the nose, so it makes sense that the inside of the nose becomes inflamed after you get it.

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As for why COVID can cause a head cold (which includes headaches and a fever), one theory is that COVID triggers the trigeminal nerve, which sends feelings of pain, touch and temperature from your face to your brain. A fever occurs in the body’s effort to fight off the infection, since most viruses and bacteria can’t survive high temperatures.

Other symptoms of COVID include shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle or body aches, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.

Related: Do You Have COVID or the Flu? It’s Not Always Easy to Tell, but Here’s How Doctors Suggest Figuring It Out

What to Do If You’re Experiencing COVID Symptoms

If you are experiencing any COVID symptoms, including the most common ones, Dr. Blank says the next step is to take a COVID test. “If you still experience those symptoms two to three days after the onset of symptoms, it’s a good idea to take a COVID test. You may also want to test yourself if you’re going to be around anyone who is pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised,” he says. This is important because even if you are in good health and will recover from COVID quickly, that may not be the case for those who are immunocompromised.

If you test positive for COVID, you may be wondering if you should see a doctor or treat your symptoms at home. Dr. Blank says that this depends on one’s individual health. “You can treat your symptoms at home with over-the-counter flu medicine and it may help a bit. However, if you have another medical condition that could cause you to become seriously ill with COVID, you should talk to your doctor. Drugs like Paxlovid may be an option, depending on the patient’s health needs and risk with COVID,” he advised.

Related: Here’s What You Can Expect COVID Symptoms to Look Like Day by Day—and Why Days 5 Through 10 Are the Most Important 

Currently, Dr. Blank says there are no official quarantine rules for those who have COVID. However, he recommends avoiding being around others until you are fever-free (without the help of Tylenol or Advil) and especially in the first few days. “You’re most contagious in the first several days. Most people will have a fever and be coughing a lot during this time,” he noted.

It can take up to 14 days for COVID symptoms to go away completely, according to Dr. Blanks. You don’t have to quarantine this entire time, but he does recommend avoiding being around others, especially when you have a fever.

Of course, it’s best if you can avoid dealing with these symptoms at all—and that’s where getting a COVID vaccine can be helpful. Dr. Blank recommends getting a COVID vaccine once a year, similarly to how it’s recommended to get a flu vaccine once a year. While the vaccine isn’t a guarantee that you won’t get COVID, it will make your symptoms less severe than they would be if you get the virus and weren’t vaccinated.

It’s certainly the time of year when viral illnesses are making their rounds. If you do get sick, track your symptoms, take a COVID test and see your doctor if you are immunocompromised. That way, you’ll recover as quickly as possible while also keeping others safe.

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Sources

• Dr. Brian Blank, MD, family medicine physician and founder of Ember Modern Medicine
• Respiratory Virus Guidance Update Frequently Asked Questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Appearance of a sore throat caused by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Journal of General and Family Medicine. 2022
• Temporal patterns of nasal symptoms in patients with mild severity SARS-CoV-2 Infection. American Journal of Otolaryngology. 2021
• Headache as a Symptom of COVID-19: Narrative Review of 1-Year Research. Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2021
• Role of fever and ambient temperature in COVID-19. Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine. 2020
• Symptoms of COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• COVID vaccine. Cleveland Clinic