COVID symptoms December 2024: What experts say to watch for this holiday season

With holiday gatherings increasing during respiratory virus season, what symptoms should you watch for if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19?

According “virus hunter” Mary RodgersAbbott research associate who has been tracking COVID variants around the world, the XEC variant remains dominant in the US.

“We’ve continued to see the evolution of COVID and that’s actually to be expected,” Rodgers told NBC Chicago. “As people’s immune responses develop to a strain, the virus is motivated to change in order to escape those immune responses. And that’s what we’re seeing today.”

According to Rodgers and the World Health Organization, the XEC variant has shown no signs of being more dangerous than other recent COVID strains, “but it is changing.”

“So we have to keep an eye on this,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers stressed the importance of tracking symptoms when dealing with COVID variants in particular.

“That’s how Omicron was first discovered,” he said. “In fact, our partner that we work with in South Africa noticed that among a group of people in an area that had already recently had a wave of COVID, they suddenly had more severe symptoms and that alerted him that we needed to sequence those samples to ” Let’s see what strain was present. And fast forward, after getting that sequence data back, he alerted the WHO that this was a new variant of concern and that’s when Omicron was first named.”

As for XEC, Rodgers said the symptoms remain unchanged so far.

But what are they and how can you differentiate between COVID and the large number of other respiratory infections spreading this holiday season?

Here’s what you should know:

What are the symptoms?

So far, experts have said the XEC variant shows signs that it will remain similar to other variants.

For now, the symptoms of COVID remain the same:

• Cough
• Sore throat
• Rhinorrhea
• sneezing
• Fatigue
• Headache
• muscle pain
• Altered sense of smell
• Congestion
• Fever or chills
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Earlier information had focused on possible gastrointestinal symptoms related to the virus.

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, a CDC scientific consultant and epidemiologist, said that “gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea” have previously been identified as possible symptoms of COVID-19.

“We don’t have specific data on the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms with the current strains of the virus, but COVID-19 symptoms can certainly differ depending on the variant and the individual,” Jetelina told NBC Chicago in July.

Last fall, a Chicago-area doctor said he has noticed changes in the most common symptoms their patients reported that the JN.1 variant reached dominance.

Dr. Chantel Tinfang, a family medicine physician at Sengstacke Health Center at Provident Hospital of Cook County, noted at the time that many of the cases she saw reported less fever, body aches and chills, and had more sore throats, fatigue. and cough.

“We still see some patients experience decreased appetite, loss of taste or smell. So it kind of depends,” he said. “One patient was very, very tired. Like she couldn’t really do much. And that’s when you know… it’s different. It’s not just coughing and shortness of breath. We still see that, though.”

How long does COVID last?

As for timing, symptoms can last for several days, but in some cases even longer.

“Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 may experience long-term effects of their infection, known as long COVID or post-COVID conditions (PCCs),” according to the CDC.

These symptoms can last for weeks and possibly even years.

However, previous time guidelines focused on five to ten days.

How can you differentiate between COVID and other respiratory viruses?

Experts say the answer is to try.

“The thing is, a lot of these other pathogens have the same initial symptoms, so it’s really hard to know if someone might have COVID or the flu based on symptoms alone,” Rodgers said. “So you have to check with your healthcare provider to see what they would recommend. But obviously, the tests will give you the definitive answer so you know if your family has COVID or the flu, which “They all start with the same fever, pain throat, runny nose, and a test is really key in those types of situations.

When should you take the test?

Experts still say home testing can be done multiple times for people experiencing symptoms.

According to Rodgers, this is because home tests are designed to detect the infection when it is at its highest.

“Home tests like Abbott’s Binaxnow are really intended to detect infections when people are most contagious. Then they have the highest levels of the virus present,” he said. “That means that if you’re still feeling unwell after a negative test, it would make sense to check in with your healthcare provider and possibly do another round of testing.”

What to do if you test positive?

In March, the CDC updated its COVID guidelines to reflect guidelines for other respiratory infections. Those who contracted COVID-19 no longer need to stay away from others for five days, the CDC said, effectively eliminating the five-day isolation recommendation.

COVID-Illinois

July 11

COVID symptoms in summer 2024: What to watch for as new variants rise and spread

COVID-Illinois

July 10

New study in Illinois shows impact of COVID vaccine on asthma symptoms

Health

June 14

COVID KP.3 variant is dominant in US: What are the symptoms?

People can return to work or their usual activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and it has been a day since they had a fever, but the CDC still recommends that those with symptoms stay home.

“Recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms generally improve and, if fever was present, it disappeared without the use of fever-reducing medication,” the guide states.

Once activities resume, the CDC still recommends “additional prevention strategies” for five additional days, including wearing a mask and keeping distance from others.

The agency emphasizes that people should still try to prevent infections in the first place by getting vaccinated, washing their hands and taking steps to get more fresh air outdoors.

As part of the guidance, the CDC suggests:

• stay up to date with vaccination to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV, if you are eligible.
• Practice good hygiene covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands frequently, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
• Taking steps for cleaner airsuch as bringing in more fresh air from outside, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.

The change comes at a time when COVID-19 is no longer the public health threat it once was. It went from being the third cause of death in the country at the beginning of the pandemic to the tenth last year.

Most people have some degree of immunity to the coronavirus due to past vaccinations or infections. And many people aren’t following the five-day isolation guidance anyway, some experts say.

Will the vaccines prevent against the XEC variant?

Experts have long said that the COVID virus will continue to mutate.

This fall’s vaccine recipe is tailored to a newer branch of omicron descendants. The Pfizer and Moderna shots target a subtype called KP.2 that was common earlier this year.

While new variants are now spreading, particularly KP.3.1.1, they are closely related enough that vaccines promise cross-protection. The vaccines are also expected to provide some protection against XEC.

“We hope that the latest updates to the vaccine will protect people from serious outcomes in the same way that previous versions were also able to prevent more severe outcomes from the strain currently circulating,” he said. “It’s something like the flu in the past, where the mutations that allow it to spread each season are the ones we are fighting with vaccines.

A Pfizer spokesperson said the company submitted data to the FDA showing that its updated vaccine “generates a substantially improved response” against multiple virus subtypes compared to last fall’s vaccine.

This summer’s COVID-19 wave isn’t over, but winter surges tend to be worse. And while COVID-19 vaccines do a good job of preventing serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths, protection against mild infections lasts only a few months.

Where can you get free COVID tests?

Hot on the heels of the summer’s wave of COVID-19 cases, Americans can now receive free virus test kits mailed to their homes, with orders opening in late September.

American households will be able to request up to four COVID-19 nasal swab tests when the federal program reopens, according to the COVIDtests.gov website. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency that oversees testing has not announced an exact date to begin ordering.

The tests will detect current strains of the virus and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season, when family and friends gather for celebrations, an HHS spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Over-the-counter COVID-19 home tests typically cost about $11, as of last year.