5 years in the past, COVID was all we may take into consideration. Immediately, we’d quite neglect about lockdowns, testing queues and social distancing. However the virus that sparked the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, continues to be circulating.
Most individuals who get COVID as we speak will expertise solely a gentle sickness. However some persons are nonetheless prone to extreme sickness and usually tend to be hospitalised with COVID. This consists of older folks, those that are immunocompromised by situations equivalent to most cancers, and other people with different well being situations equivalent to diabetes.
Outcomes additionally are typically extra extreme in those that expertise social inequities equivalent to homelessness. In the UK, folks residing within the 20% most disadvantaged areas have double likelihood of being hospitalised from infectious ailments than these within the least disadvantaged areas.
What number of circumstances and hospitalisations?
In Australia, 58,000 COVID circumstances have been reported to date in 2025. Nevertheless, testing charges have declined and never all optimistic circumstances are reported to the federal government, so case numbers in the neighborhood are seemingly a lot greater.
Newest knowledge from FluCan, a community of 14 hospitals, discovered 781 folks have been hospitalised for COVID issues within the first three months of the yr. This “sentinel surveillance” knowledge offers a snapshot from a handful of hospitals, so the precise variety of hospitalisations throughout Australia is anticipated to be a lot greater.
Whereas deaths are decrease than earlier years, 289 folks died from COVID-related respiratory infections within the first two months of the yr.
What can we anticipate as we head into winter? We frequently see a rise in respiratory infections in winter.
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Nevertheless, COVID peaks aren’t simply essentially seasonal. Over the previous few years, peaks have tended to seem round each six months.
What are the most typical COVID signs? Typical early signs of COVID included fever, cough, sore throat, runny nostril and shortness of breath. These have remained the most typical COVID signs throughout the a number of variant waves.
Vaccinated individuals who catch COVID are inclined to current with milder illness and get well sooner. This can be as a result of vaccination prevents over-activation of the innate immune response. (Picture: Freepik)
Early within the pandemic, we realised COVID induced a novel symptom referred to as anosmia – the modified sense of style or scent. Anosmia lasts a couple of week and in some circumstances can last more. Anosmia was extra incessantly reported from infections because of the ancestral, Gamma, and Delta variants however not for the Omicron variant, which emerged in 2021.
Nevertheless, lack of scent nonetheless appears to be related to some newer variants. A current French research discovered anosmia was extra incessantly reported in folks with JN.1.
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However the researchers didn’t discover any variations for different COVID signs between older and newer variants.
Do you have to trouble doing a take a look at?
Sure. Testing is especially vital if you happen to expertise COVID-like signs or have been just lately uncovered to somebody with COVID and are at high-risk of extreme COVID. You may require well timed remedy.
If you’re prone to extreme COVID, you’ll be able to see a health care provider or go to a clinic with point-of-care testing companies to entry confirmatory PCR (polymerase chain response) testing.
Fast antigen assessments (RATs) accepted by Australia’s regulator are additionally nonetheless obtainable for private use.
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However a adverse RAT doesn’t imply that you simply don’t have COVID – particularly if you’re symptomatic.
When you do take a look at optimistic, when you don’t should isolate, it’s finest to remain at residence.
When you do go away the home whereas experiencing COVID signs, minimise the unfold to others by sporting a well-fitted masks, avoiding public locations equivalent to hospitals and avoiding contact with these at greater threat of extreme COVID.
How lengthy does COVID final lately?
In most individuals with delicate to reasonable COVID, it will possibly final 7–10 days.
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Symptomatic folks can unfold the an infection to others from about 48 hours earlier than you develop signs to about ten days after growing signs. Few persons are infectious past that. However signs can persist in additional extreme circumstances for longer.
A UK research which tracked the persistence of signs in 5,000 health-care staff discovered signs have been much less more likely to final for greater than 12 weeks in subsequent infections.
Normal fatigue, for instance, was reported in 17.3% of individuals after the primary an infection in contrast with 12.8% after the second an infection and 10.8% following the third an infection.
Unvaccinated folks additionally had extra persistent signs.
Vaccinated individuals who catch COVID are inclined to current with milder illness and get well sooner. This can be as a result of vaccination prevents over-activation of the innate immune response.
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Vaccination stays the easiest way to stop COVID Vaccination towards COVID continues to be one of the efficient methods to stop COVID and defend towards it. Knowledge from Europe’s most up-to-date winter, which is but to be peer reviewed, experiences COVID vaccines have been 66% efficient at stopping symptomatic, confirmed COVID circumstances.
Most individuals in Australia have had no less than one dose of the COVID vaccine. However if you happen to haven’t, folks over 18 years of age are beneficial to have a COVID vaccine.
Boosters can be found for adults over 18 years of age. When you don’t have any underlying immune points, you’re eligible to obtain a funded dose each 12 months.
Boosters are beneficial for adults 65–74 years each 12 months and for these over 75 years each six months.
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Adults over 18 years who’re at greater threat due to weaker immune programs are beneficial to get a COVID vaccine each 12 months and are eligible each six months.
A brand new evaluation of greater than 4,300 research discovered full vaccination earlier than a SARS-CoV-2 an infection may scale back the chance of lengthy COVID by 27% relative to no vaccination for the final grownup inhabitants.
With ongoing circulation of COVID, hybrid immunity from pure an infection supplemented with booster vaccination may help forestall large-scale COVID waves.