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Your COVID-19 Symptoms Explained: From Mild to Severe

The disease can look different from person to person, but there are certain signs to look out for.
A set of three illustrations in a row. The first is of a woman blowing her nose, the second is of a pink and blue mercury thermometer, the third is a close-up of a nose.
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Written by Amy Molten, MD, FAAP.
2016- 2018 - Tufts University School of Medicine Boston, MA Clinical Assistant Professor, General Pediatrics
Last updated January 31, 2024

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Get a thorough self-assessment before your visit to the doctor.

Care Plan

1

First steps to consider

  • Mild to moderate COVID symptoms can be treated at home.
  • OTC medications like decongestants and pain relievers can help a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, and body aches.
  • Take fever reducers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil).
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2

When you may need a provider

  • Your symptoms are severe, especially if you’re unvaccinated.
  • You have a high risk of developing severe COVID, including being 65 or older, or having health conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or obesity.
  • Your symptoms are mild to moderate symptoms and have worsened after 3 days of home treatment.
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Emergency Care

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Call 911 or go to the ER if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Chest pain
  • Confusion
  • Bluish lips or face
  • Trouble staying awake

Understanding COVID-19

COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is unpredictable. Many people have no symptoms—though they can still be spreading the virus. Others experience life-threatening complications. But the majority of people with symptoms—about 80%—have only mild to moderate disease.

But it’s not always easy to know what version of the disease you have, how it will progress—and what your next steps should be.

Understanding the difference between mild, moderate, and severe symptoms, and when it’s moving from one stage to the next, can help you decide when to stay home or go to the hospital.

If you are feeling sick, you and your doctor will be able to determine what care you need based on your symptoms. In a relatively short period of time, doctors have learned a lot about COVID-19, including better ways to manage the disease, whether at home or at the hospital.

COVID-19 symptoms

First, here is a list of symptoms.

Fever, cough, and tiredness are the most common. For some, the loss of taste or smell (or both) is one of the earliest signs that they may have caught the virus.

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of taste or smell
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

So how do you know how bad your symptoms are and when you need to seek medical help? There are actually five different categories of severity for COVID-19.

Asymptomatic or presymptomatic infection

This is when you have COVID-19 but don’t feel any symptoms at all. It could be that you will never experience symptoms—these are asymptomatic cases. Or you may be in the period between being infected but not yet having symptoms. In both situations, you are contagious and can spread the virus to others.

It’s estimated that many people infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic. If you have tested positive but are not having symptoms, you still need to isolate yourself following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines. The CDC recommends that if you have COVID-19 but have no symptoms, you wait 10 days since the date you had your positive test before you can be around others. You can still make others sick even if you never have any symptoms.

Mild symptoms

Most COVID-19 cases are mild.

If you have a mild case, you will probably feel a little under the weather with some combination of COVID-19 symptoms. You might have a low fever, some coughing, maybe a headache or nausea, and perhaps you lose your taste and smell.

Most important is that you don’t have difficulty getting enough air (called dyspnea) or other problems with breathing. That would signal more serious illness.

If you test positive, call your doctor. You can probably treat yourself at home, but check with your doctor through telemedicine or telephone visits to make sure you’re not getting worse. Sometimes mild symptoms can become moderate.

People who are at high-risk of complications, such as people ages 65 and older, or who have underlying health conditions, like diabetes or heart disease, should talk to their doctors about whether they need to go to the hospital.

Moderate symptoms

The main difference between mild and moderate COVID-19 is whether or not you have pneumonia. This is when the lungs have too much fluid in them and become inflamed, making it hard to breathe and causing shortness of breath. Your doctor may suggest you get an X-ray to check to see if you have pneumonia.

While you may not need to go to the hospital, keep in close contact with your doctor to monitor your illness. If your symptoms start getting worse, call your doctor. If you are struggling to breathe, go to the ER.

Severe symptoms

Some people with COVID-19 become severely ill. Your doctor will want you to go to the hospital.

According to the CDC, you should go to the ER if you have any of the following severe symptoms:

  • Difficulty getting enough air
  • Persistent pain or pressure in your chest
  • New confusion
  • Inability to wake up or stay awake
  • Bluish lips or face

Some people, however, may have dangerously low oxygen levels without realizing it. Your doctor may ask you to monitor your oxygen saturation levels (how much oxygen is circulating in your blood) with a pulse oximeter. (They are sold at drugstores and online.)

Oxygen saturation that is consistently below 92% or adults needing to take more than 30 breaths per minute are red flags that the illness is worsening. Low oxygen can damage your organs. Your doctor will tell you to go to the ER.

At the hospital, you’ll be given supplemental oxygen and other vital signs will be checked. You’ll be given other treatments depending on how sick you are.

Critical illness

A small percentage of people with COVID-19 symptoms end up with the most extreme form. People with critical illness related to COVID-19 are best cared for in the hospital intensive care unit. The signs of critical illness include:

  • Cytokine storm. Your immune system starts attacking your body. It sets off a chain reaction that can damage your liver, kidneys, lungs, and blood vessels as well as increase blood clots.
  • These blood clots can not only cause additional harm to the lungs, but also can cause strokes if they form in the blood vessels of the brain, or kidney failure if they clog kidney blood vessels.
  • Severe difficulty breathing. This is caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome (a more advanced form of pneumonia).
  • Septic shock. The infection is spreading through the bloodstream, causing organs like the heart or kidneys to shut down.
  • Cardiac dysfunction. Your heart is no longer working as it should.

Ready to find treatments for COVID?

We show you only the best treatments for your condition and symptoms—all vetted by our medical team. And when you’re not sure what’s wrong, Buoy can guide you in the right direction.See all treatment options
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The scientific understanding of COVID-19 as well as guidelines for its prevention and treatment are constantly changing. There may be new information since this article was published. It’s important to check with sources like the CDC for the most up-to-date information.

Hear what 6 others are saying
Once your story receives approval from our editors, it will exist on Buoy as a helpful resource for others who may experience something similar.
The stories shared below are not written by Buoy employees. Buoy does not endorse any of the information in these stories. Whenever you have questions or concerns about a medical condition, you should always contact your doctor or a healthcare provider.
We've been lucky so farPosted November 24, 2021 by J.
I live in a 2-family home. My daughter lives on the first floor with her adult son. I live on the second floor with my son and my grandson, who has 2 children. We've followed the protocols mandated in our state. No one in our family has been exposed to people who don't live with us. When we were allowed to food shop or order food online, we always disinfect everything before bringing it into our home. The pandemic has been difficult for everyone but it allowed me to spend my time with my loved ones. We are on the same page in our belief to keep ourselves healthy.
Smart Defense VS COVID-19Posted October 25, 2021 by A.
Since the COVID-19 started I have followed the health preventive measures that we need (to stop the spread of the disease). That includes wearing the mask when required, getting the shots, limiting myself to crowded places where the chance of contracting COVID is high. Eating healthy food, following COVID guidelines. Taking my temperature and oxygen readings at home, and I check my blood pressure daily. Self-monitoring on a daily basis is very important to staying healthy. We can defeat the COVID-19 with these smart defensive measures.
The Mask QueenPosted October 13, 2021 by C.
My friend was positive and had symptoms. She kept saying I don't feel good (I can't breathe) and my taste bud is gone. So she tested positive! Now I had been in the presence of a sick friend. A couple days later, my stomach started to hurt, had fever, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat. So I drove myself to the emergency room to get checked out. My test came back negative at first! On the third day, I did a third test. This lady shoved the stick so far up my nose, it had blood on it. Three days later I was dismissed. The nurse said, Oh, did the doctor tell you you tested positive! I said, No, he didn't. I went home and quarantined for 20 days, taking all precautions. Now I stay protected and healthy. Sometimes I wear my mask to bed. I beat COVID!!!
2016- 2018 - Tufts University School of Medicine Boston, MA Clinical Assistant Professor, General Pediatrics
Dr. Molten is a board-certified Pediatrician and Director of Medicine for Buoy Health. She received her undergraduate degree in Linguistics and Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1995) and graduated from the University of Vermont College of Medicine (2001). She completed a pediatric residency program at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital (2004). As a National Health Serv...
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