Experts expect cases to rise again this winter. Here’s the latest on symptoms, treatments and testing.
There are few constants when it comes to Covid, but one thing has held true over the years: Cases climb in the winter.
In the weeks after the holidays, especially, more people tend to get sick, as we spend time together indoors, sharing germs and spreading infections.
“It seems the wave is coming,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.
Wastewater data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently shows high levels of the virus circulating nationwide. Deaths and hospitalizations from the virus have ticked up in recent weeks. And a new variant, XEC, now makes up nearly half of Covid cases in the country. Here’s what to know.
Covid symptoms to watch for
Covid symptoms have largely stayed the same over the last few years: cough, congestion, fever, a sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, head and body aches. People with Covid are often exhausted. Some lose their sense of taste or smell.
Covid can feel different every time you’re infected; symptoms don’t always progress in the same way. While you had a sore throat last time, you might have more gastrointestinal symptoms this time.