Why COVID-19 is still a concern
COVID-19 is an illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that can lead to potentially serious consequences.
Symptoms of COVID-19 Illness
People report a wide range of COVID-19 symptoms, spanning from mild to severe
Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19
COVID-19 continues to pose health risks to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Some people with certain risk factors are at an increased risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.
According to the CDC, this means that a person with one or more of these conditions who gets very sick from COVID-19 (has severe illness from COVID-19) is more likely to:
- Be hospitalized
- Need intensive care
- Require a ventilator to help them breathe
- Die
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- Ajufo E, Rao S, Navar AM, Pandey A, Ayers CR, Khera A. U.S. population at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Am J Prev Cardiol. 2021;6:100156. Published correction appears in Am J Prev Cardiol. 2021;6:100195.
~75% of American adults have at least one risk factor for getting very sick from COVID-19.1
According to the CDC, a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases as the number of risk factors they have increases. Risk factors can include:
- Being 50 or older
- Being overweight or obese
- Being a current or former smoker
- Having diabetes
- Having a heart condition
- Having a chronic lung disease
- Having a chronic kidney disease
- Having a weakened immune system
- Having a neurologic condition
- Being pregnant
This isn’t a complete list of risk factors and is not in the order of severity.
Visit CDC.gov to learn more about conditions that increase your likelihood of becoming very sick with COVID-19.
Factors Affecting Health Equity
Long COVID
Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as Long COVID.
Long COVID is a serious illness that can result in chronic conditions requiring long-term care. Symptoms and conditions can emerge, persist, resolve, and reemerge over weeks and months.
Long COVID may last weeks, months, or years after a COVID-19 infection and can include a wide range of symptoms*:
General symptoms
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Fatigue
- Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort
Respiratory and heart symptoms
- Difficulty breathing
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Fast-beating or pounding heart
Neurological symptoms
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating
- Headache
- Sleep problems
- Lightheadedness
- Pins-and-needles feeling
Digestive symptoms
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
According to the CDC, although Long COVID occurs more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, anyone who has been infected or reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience it, including children.
Each time a person is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, they have a risk of developing Long COVID.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children and Adults
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19 in which different internal and external body parts become inflamed, including the:
- Heart
- Lungs
- Kidneys
- Brain
- Skin
- Eyes
- Gastrointestinal tract
MIS can affect children (MIS-C) and adults (MIS-A).†
†MIS-C case definition includes people who are younger than 21 years old, and MIS-A case definition includes people who are 21 years and older.
Visit CDC.gov to learn more about MIS-C and MIS-A signs and symptoms, and when to seek emergency care.
Talk to your healthcare provider about steps you can take to help protect yourself against COVID-19.
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