
COVID-19 symptoms can differ from person to person, but commonly include fever, tiredness, cough, and trouble breathing. Loss of smell or taste is also frequently reported. Symptoms usually appear between 1 and 14 days after being exposed to the virus. Around a third of people who get infected don’t experience any noticeable symptoms. Of those who do, most (81%) have mild to moderate symptoms, like a mild form of pneumonia. Fewer people (14%) develop severe symptoms such as shortness of breath or significant lung problems, and a small percentage (5%) become critically ill, potentially experiencing respiratory failure or organ damage. Older adults are more likely to develop severe illness, and complications can sometimes be fatal. Many people continue to experience health problems for months or even years after their initial infection—known as long COVID—and studies are ongoing to understand the long-term effects and potential organ damage.