What to Expect, According to Doctors

While COVID-19 cases were relatively low in the U.S. this summer, they’re slowly starting to creep up again. Cases of the virus are “growing or likely growing” in 48 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and data from Stanford University’s WastewaterSCAN, which tests sewage to track infectious disease, show “high” levels across the country, too. So you definitely should be keeping COVID-19 on your radar.

Of course, a lot has changed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began in 2020. While the virus is still potentially lethal, it’s not as deadly for the general population as it once was. And symptoms have also changed slightly over time, so it’s not terribly surprising that COVID symptoms in 2026 can look different from those of the past.

“There is a spectrum of symptoms,” says Thomas Russo, M.D., a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. It depends on a lot: Your previous immunity (from being vaccinated or having had the virus) along with any underlying health conditions can influence your COVID symptoms—and the severity of them—if you get sick with the virus now, he explains. The strain of COVID-19 you contract plays a role, too, he says.

The latest wave of COVID-19 is being driven by two major strains, per CDC surveillance data: XFG.1.1 and SW.2—both Omicron variants, Dr. Russo points out. “These tend to cause less severe disease compared to the older Wuhan and Delta variants,” he says. “That’s packaged together with the fact that over that time period, we’ve developed some level of population-based immunity.”

So what can you experience if you do get infected? Here’s the latest about what to expect from COVID-19 in 2026, according to infectious disease physicians—and what to do to cut your risk of getting sick with it.

Meet the experts: Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; Thomas Russo, M.D., a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York

What are major COVID symptoms in 2026?

The official list of COVID-19 symptoms has not changed. Per the CDC, you can experience:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• New loss of taste or smell
• Fatigue​
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

But some of these COVID-19 symptoms are more likely in 2026 than others, according to doctors. “Loss of taste and smell has become less common,” says Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

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Many people are also reporting an intense sore throat with the latest strain of COVID-19, according to Dr. Russo. “Some people feel like it’s the worst sore throat ever, like razor blades in the throat,” he says. “But it can be more mild in others.”

Some folks may have a “mild” upper respiratory infection that mimics a cold, while others will have more of a systemic illness that involves a fever, chills, and headache, Dr. Russo says. “It can be packaged with a cough that doesn’t produce sputum,” he says.

Then there are the GI symptoms: As if cold symptoms aren’t enough, some people will also get nausea and diarrhea along with the upper respiratory symptoms and sore throat, according to Dr. Russo. “They’re usually all packaged together,” he says.

Still others will develop more severe complications from COVID-19. “COVID, for many people, will be a flu-like illness,” Dr. Adalja says. “But those with risk factors for severe disease may experience shortness of breath.” They can also develop pneumonia, per Dr. Russo.

How will you know what symptoms you’ll develop?

A lot comes down to your immune system’s individual response to the virus, as well as your experience with COVID-19 in the past, Dr. Russo says. “Your preexisting immunity and how much virus you’re exposed to matters,” he says. “Your genetic background plays a role, too.”

If you’re younger, healthy, and have some baseline immunity to COVID-19, the virus is more likely to feel like a cold or upper respiratory tract infection for you, according to Dr. Russo. It’s just not a guarantee. “Even young, healthy people can develop severe disease—it’s just less likely,” he says. “As you get older, your risk of developing more severe disease increases.”

How to lower your risk of severe symptoms of COVID-19

It’s not shocking that doctors still recommend getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved updated versions of the vaccines that target the JN.1-lineage XFG variant. This makes them a better fit for the currently circulating variants, Dr. Adalja says—meaning, better protection.

“The secret to avoiding infection or having a mild infection is being up to date with vaccinations,” Dr. Russo says. If you’re in what’s considered a high-risk group, Dr. Adalja says it’s important to get the vaccine now.

“COVID remains a potentially lethal disease and still needs to be taken seriously,” Dr. Russo says. “Vaccination remains our best modality for protection.”