Covid in the Rear View Mirror

If you think we’re finally past the Covid pandemic, well, you may be right. The chart comes from the Center for Disease Control, which shows the number of deaths per 100,000 population going back to the start of the epidemic. As you can see, the death rate looks like a fading heartbeat, getting weaker and weaker as it trends toward zero. The hospitalization rate shows a similar trend, suggesting that the symptoms have become weaker as the disease mutates—to the point where only 0.4% of hospitalizations are now Covid-related.

The most recent variant, called ‘Cicada’ (more formally BA. 3.2) has associated symptoms that look much like Covid’s close virus cousin: the common cold. The list includes sore throat, cough, fever, fatigue, congestion, and a runny nose.

How can you tell the difference? Some Covid patients lose their sense of taste or smell, while others suffer from diarrhea—symptoms not associated with colds. Meanwhile, increased sneezing is more closely associated with a cold than Covid.

Of course, the easiest way to tell the difference is to take a Covid-19 at-home test with a swab of the nose. And one of the biggest differences if you do test positive is that there are antiviral pills like Paxlovid that can significantly lessen your chances of severe illness. We are still looking for a cure for the common cold.