The most common Covid symptoms have changed, study finds - syracuse.com

What are the symptoms of Covid? The answer has changed after nearly three years in the coronavirus pandemic, largely depending on your vaccination status.

Nexstar Media reports the ZOE Health Study, a joint effort by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, King's College London, Stanford University School of Medicine and the health app ZOE, published its findings last week showing the most common Covid symptoms.

Participants who were fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated and unvaccinated reported four of the same main symptoms: A sore throat, runny nose, persistent cough and a headache. But the prevalence of each, as well as a fifth symptom, varies depending on how many vaccine doses you've had.

For those who are fully vaccinated, a blocked nose is the third-most frequently reported symptom, researchers found. Those who have received just one dose of the vaccine say it's sneezing, and those who are unvaccinated commonly report a fever.

According to ZOE, sneezing and a runny nose weren't previously thought to be common symptoms of Covid infection.

Here are the top five Covid symptoms for each group, ranked in order of how often they're reported:

Fully vaccinated:

1. Sore throat

2. Runny nose

3. Blocked nose

4. Persistent cough

5. Headache

Partially vaccinated:

1. Headache

2. Runny nose

3. Sore throat

4. Sneezing

5. Persistent cough

Unvaccinated:

1. Headache

2. Sore throat

3. Runny nose

4. Fever

5. Persistent cough

According to the CDC, other Covid symptoms can include loss of smell, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomach aches and "Covid toes." The loss of smell was more commonly reported with the delta variant, whereas a sore throat has been more common with the milder, more contagious omicron variants.

The ZOE study found fully vaccinated patients were less likely to report a loss of smell, a fever or shortness of breath, but more likely to experience sneezing. Unvaccinated patients still experience more of the original Covid symptoms, though loss of smell and trouble breathing appear to be less prevalent with omicron cases.

The study did not define how severe each symptom was with each group.

How can I tell if it's Covid, the flu or a common cold?

Many of the symptoms of any viral infection can be similar, making it tough to tell the difference between Covid-19, influenza or a common cold without getting tested. One of the big differences is shortness of breath and the loss of smell and taste for Covid, which are not likely experiences for the flu or colds.

Common cold symptoms include a mild cough, a stuffy nose, sneezing, a sore throat, aches, and a short fever period. Chills and shortness of breath are not symptoms, and nausea, headaches and loss of taste/smell are rare.

Flu symptoms include a dry cough, fever, aches, headache and fatigue or weakness; sometimes symptoms can include a stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea and chills. Sneezing is not a symptom, and shortness of breath and loss of taste/smell are rare.

Covid symptoms include a dry cough, stuffy nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, fever, aches, nausea, chills, headaches, loss of taste/smell and fatigue/weakness. Chest tightness also occurs sometimes and sneezing is rare.

People with the flu can feel symptoms within 1-4 days, whereas Covid patients can experience them up to 14 days after infection; both can present as asymptomatic.

Dr. Benjamin Abramoff, assistant professor of clinical physical medicine and rehabilitation and the director of the Penn Medicine post COVID assessment and recovery clinic, says the best way to stay safe is to get vaccinated and boosted. If you have any symptoms, stay home or wear a mask to avoid exposing others and get tested to determine the best course of treatment.

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