Well, it can feel exactly the same as a cold, according to Brian Curtis, MD, vice president of Clinical Specialty Services for OSF HealthCare. That makes it hard to tell the difference between a cold and a mild case of COVID. It's even harder to tell the difference knowing that sore throat is a COVID symptom.
Some people describe COVID sore throat as the most painful sore throat they've ever experienced. Others report a sore throat that isn't too different from one caused by a regular cold. Other COVID sore throat symptoms people notice include: Pain when swallowing or talking.
Symptoms of a cold tend to be mild. You may have a runny nose, cough, congestion, and sore throat. But you won't usually have the aches and fever that are common with COVID-19 and flu. Often, you'll feel better in a couple of days.
Breathing through your mouth — often because of chronic nasal congestion — also can cause a dry, sore throat. Irritants. Outdoor air pollution and indoor pollution such as tobacco smoke or chemicals can cause a chronic sore throat. Chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol and eating spicy foods also can irritate your throat.
Many people who are infected have more mild symptoms like a scratchy throat, stuffy or runny nose, occasional mild cough, fatigue, and no fever. Some people have no symptoms at all, but they can still spread the disease.”
All of the variants, including omicron BA.5, cause similar COVID-19 symptoms: runny nose. cough.
A person may have mild symptoms for about one week, then worsen rapidly. Let your doctor know if your symptoms quickly worsen over a short period of time.
"One new feature of cases caused by this variant is that it seems to be causing conjunctivitis, or red and itchy eyes, in young patients. This is not something that we've seen with prior strains of the virus," Dr. Binnicker adds. Red itchy eyes in young patients are symptoms of the new omicron variant.
If you do not feel well, you should be tested for COVID-19. Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, feeling tired, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, throwing up or feeling like you need to, and diarrhea.
You can also spread COVID-19 in the 48 hours before your symptoms start. If you never have symptoms, consider yourself most infectious in the 5 days after you test positive.
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, your 5-day isolation should start over. Follow the recommendations above for ending isolation if you had symptoms. gyms, and avoid eating around others at home and at work. If symptoms return or worsen, you should restart your isolation period at day 0.
The short, simple answer is DO NOT go to work if you have a sore throat, especially if you aren't sure why. A sore throat could mean the presence of an underlying infection.
Knowing whether your sore throat is viral or bacterial is usually determined by symptoms. Viral sore throats usually consist of a cough, swelling in the throat, and runny nose whereas bacterial sore throats are typically accompanied with nausea and vomiting, stomach ache, and there is no cough.
After a positive test result, you may continue to test positive for some time. Some tests, especially PCR tests, may continue to show a positive result for up to 90 days. Reinfections can occur within 90 days, which can make it hard to know if a positive test indicates a new infection.
A dry cough is one of the most common coronavirus symptoms, but some people may have a cough with phlegm (thick mucus). It can be difficult to control your cough but there are a few ways to help.
It can make you feel dull and tired, take away your energy, and eat away at your ability to get things done. Depending on the seriousness of your COVID-19 infection, it may last 2 to 3 weeks. But for some people with a severe infection, the brain fog-like fatigue and pain can linger for weeks or months.
The first symptoms of COVID-19 can be more gradual. While COVID-19 symptoms can develop as early as two days after you're infected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says five days after infection is typical.
The research shows that covid-19 headaches are most similar to either tension headaches or migraines. The symptoms of tension-like headaches include: Moderate or severe pain. Pain on both sides of the head.
Symptoms of Omicron can be similar to the original COVID-19 virus and other variants, which can include a combination of the following: fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, headache, sore throat, muscle pains/aches and fatigue. “Fever, cough and headache look to be the most common symptoms from the current data.
Excess mucus in the throat can lead to itching, irritation, and soreness. Postnasal drip typically increases when a person is lying down. As a result, a sore throat may worsen at night or first thing in the morning. Exposure to certain allergens at night may also worsen postnasal drip and sore throat.
Most sore throats caused by a cold or flu-type virus go away in a week to 10 days. If your sore throat is caused by bacteria, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. You will feel better in a few days.
If you have a sore throat, you can treat the pain with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen. If the soreness in your throat is still there after two days, call your doctor.