What are the symptoms of Covid-19? A test is the only way to be sure.

The days when a fever was a dead giveaway for COVID-19 are long gone. Covid symptoms differ greatly amongst individuals due to the virus’s mutations and subsequent resurgence of infections.

TFD – As COVID-19 continues to mutate, symptoms have become increasingly varied, making diagnosis more challenging. With new isolation guidelines in place, understanding these changes is crucial. Learn what to watch for and how to navigate testing and isolation effectively.

Doctors believe it’s practically impossible to diagnose a person with the virus based on symptoms alone as the country gets ready for another summer Covid wave.

“We test someone for COVID every week who tests positive—someone I never would have guessed had it. Then there are some people who test negative but I’m fairly sure they have Covid,” stated Dr. Steven Furr, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a family doctor in Jackson, Alabama.

He claimed that it was now very difficult to distinguish Covid from other respiratory illnesses.

Patients with Covid are presenting at clinics with a range of symptoms, according to Furr and other medical professionals.

Dr. Paul Sax, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and clinical director of the infectious diseases section at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, stated, “Some people have a very classic sore throat, runny nose, cough, and low-grade fever.” In others, there are very little respiratory symptoms and primarily nausea and diarrhea. From A to Z and beyond, it can change.

The same pattern has been seen by Dr. Bernard Camins, medical director for infection prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.

“You can’t tell nowadays whether it’s a cold or Covid,” Camins added, without a test.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there seems to be an increase in Covid infections in 39 states as of mid-June. Hospital stays, deaths, and ER visits linked to COVID are all on the rise.

Covid continues to evolve, becoming more contagious.

The diagnostic environment has changed significantly since 2020, when a fever was thought to be a reliable sign of COVID-19.

Furr remarked, “That’s not really a major sign anymore.” “At this point, there isn’t a single sign that indicates “Hey, you probably have Covid.” We won’t be able to determine for sure without testing.

The modification is being made for several reasons. The virus has been introduced to almost everyone’s immune system on several occasions, either by vaccination, infection, or both.

According to Sax, “that seems to lessen the severity of the disease over time.” “More often than not, recurrent infections are milder than first-time infections.”

Furthermore, the virus itself has undergone numerous changes. KP.3, KP.2, and LB.1, the most recent omicron subvariants that account for most cases, are capable of making individuals sick, but usually not too unwell.

A CDC representative stated in an email that LB.1 in particular “has the potential to infect some people more easily based on a single deletion in a spike protein.” “But as of right now, there’s no proof that LB.1 leads to more serious illness.

The Food and Drug Administration instructed vaccine manufacturers earlier this month to focus on the KP.2 strain for the upcoming fall Covid vaccination round. A CDC advisory panel is expected to examine who should receive them on Thursday.

For those who are most vulnerable to complications—older adults 65 years of age and older, as well as those with severe immunocompromised conditions, such as organ transplant recipients—the experts are at least likely to advise updated Covid vaccinations.

It’s also likely that those with underlying medical issues are included on the list. According to Sax, a large number of Covid-19 hospital patients also suffer from other chronic conditions such congestive heart failure.

He stated that “their heart isn’t pumping very well” in the first place. “Covid then appears, and their congestive heart failure worsens.”

Which is better, testing or isolating?

Deciding whether to get tested for Covid-19 could be challenging given the wide range of potential symptoms. Additionally, taking testing too soon could result in erroneous negative results.

“We still have cases who test negative on initial testing and test positive a day or two later,” said Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease fellow at Stanford Medicine in California. Karan said that’s not surprising because “the amount of virus present has to increase enough in the sample for it to be detectable.”

When people initially begin to feel sick, antigen tests, which many Americans keep stashed away at home, are particularly prone to false negative results.

According to Sax, “rapid tests aren’t positive on the first day of symptoms.” “Usually, it takes until day two, three, or four” for the test to detect enough virus for a positive outcome.

The CDC announced in amended guidelines this spring that if a person tests positive, there is no longer a mandated five-day period of isolation.

Instead, the CDC advises that people stay home when they’re symptomatic, but return to school, work and social activities once they’re feeling better.

“There aren’t really any rules about stopping isolation once the symptoms go away or are almost gone,” Sax stated.