As more new variants of the coronavirus emerge, cases appear to be rising across much of the country. Two of these variants, KP.3 and KP.2, now account for more than half of all cases. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that emergency room visits, deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have increased.
Here’s what you need to know about symptoms, tests, and treatment if you get sick:
Symptoms to watch out for
There is no evidence that the symptoms of the new dominant variants, including those collectively known as the “FLiRT” variants, are different from those of other recent strains of the virus, said Aubree Gordon, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Michigan.
Symptoms still include sneezing, congestion, headaches, muscle aches, nausea or vomiting. Many people also report exhaustion and a general “blah” feeling.
In general, the more immunity you have built up through vaccination or previous infections, the milder your next bout of the virus is likely to be. (However, it is possible to experience more severe symptoms with a new infection than with previous Covid cases.)
The symptoms of Covid can be similar to allergies or other infections. The best way to tell the difference is to get tested.
When (and how) to test
In an ideal world, experts said, people would take a Covid test as soon as they developed symptoms or learned they’d been exposed, then test again a day or two later. But if you have limited supplies of at-home tests, there are a few ways to maximize their usefulness: Test immediately if you have a fever and cough, said Dr. Davey Smith, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, San Diego.
If you have other symptoms but don’t have many tests on hand, it’s best to wait a few days before testing to reduce the chance of a false-negative result. People with weakened immune systems, are elderly, or have underlying health conditions may want to get tested as soon as they feel sick or learn they’ve been exposed so they can start taking Paxlovid to reduce the severity of the illness, said Dr. Paul Auwaerter, clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
If you have had symptoms for more than three days but still test negative, you are unlikely to ever test positive on a home test, Dr Gordon said – either because you don’t have Covid or because you are shedding levels of the virus too low for a rapid test to pick up.
If you wait to get tested, you should take precautions in the meantime to minimize the potential spread of the virus, such as wearing a mask in public and isolating yourself from others, said Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Before using a test, check the expiration date. If the expiration date has passed, you can see if it’s still usable by checking the FDA’s test database. Be careful where you store Covid tests during the summer months; leaving them out in extreme heat for multiple days can make them less accurate. Health officials have also advised against using Cue Health tests.
Medicines to prevent and treat Covid
In March, the FDA approved a new drug for people with severely compromised immune systems, such as those receiving stem cell or organ transplants. The drug, Pemgarda, is a monoclonal antibody infusion that can be taken preventively, before people contract the virus.
People 12 and older who test positive can take Paxlovid for five days after developing symptoms. The drug stops the virus from replicating in the body and reduces the risk of death for people who are more vulnerable to severe illness. There is no evidence that Paxlovid is less effective against the current leading variants than earlier strains of the virus, experts said. Scientists are still debating whether Paxlovid can reduce the risk of developing long Covid.
There are two other antiviral treatments that doctors use much less often: remdesivir, or Veklury, which is given as an intravenous infusion to adults and children, and molnupiravir, known as Lagevrio, a pill that can be used to reduce the risk of serious illness in adults.
Doctors advise resting as much as possible when you’re sick. If you feel up to it, take a walk around the block — “you don’t want to be completely inactive,” Dr. Sax said — but don’t push yourself.
“Some people like to take long walks,” Dr. Smith said. “I just stay in bed and read a book. You just suffer through it, basically.”