Coronavirus: COVID symptoms to watch out for as we head towards pre-winter season

As the weather cools down and more people shift indoors, health experts are anticipating that there could be a rise in cases in the coming months.

Health experts note that mutations are possible heading into the coming months. Newer variants can also bring changes in the symptoms.

Even though upper respiratory symptoms are the most tell-tale sign of the COVID infection, certain changes in dominant symptoms, including signs not related to respiration, have been observed as the virus has evolved.

Experts note that differences in symptoms with new variants could also be due to the people getting vaccinated against the virus, which they were not before.

"There are some indications for example, with omicron that the loss of taste and smell is less common than it was with some of the earlier lineages. All of this is also impacted probably by the fact that many more people are vaccinated than they were before," said Dr. Isaac Ghinai, a medical director for the Chicago Department of Public Health who oversees COVID-19 testing and laboratory surveillance.

A cough is one of the main symptoms which may stick around the longest. "A cough tends to be the most lingering effect. That's true whenever you have any viral infection. You can be feeling totally better, and you're still going to have some irritation, " doctor Allison Arwady said at a press conference earlier this month.

If you experience a prevalent cough, it is best to consult your doctor for treatment, else you may be able to get rid of it for a longer time period.

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With the rise in vaccination and mutations of the virus, some symptoms have also become less prevalent, compared to before. One such symptom observed is shortness of breath. On the other hand, health experts note that fevers and coughs have become more common symptoms in recent months.

Apart from these signs to watch out for, pay attention to other common signs of COVID as well. These include:

-Fatigue

-Muscle or body aches

-Headache

-Sore throat

-Congestion or runny nose

-Nausea

-Diarrhea

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Despite particular signs and symptoms noted from research and experience, health experts caution that the type of symptoms and their severity can vary widely from person to person. Factors like your age, your vaccine status, previous or recent infection, any comorbid illness etc can impact on your immune response to the virus.