Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been many emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. These variants have differed based on how infectious and how easily transmissible they are. Here, we talk about whether those variants cause different symptoms or more severe disease.
Q: Do current SARS-CoV-2 variants cause more severe disease?
No. Existing evidence is limited but suggests that the current SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1 and its subvariants, including “FLiRT” variants, are indeed more transmissible than the original (ancestral) strain of SARS-CoV-2, but do not appear to cause more severe disease than the original strain or other SARS-CoV-2 variants (Quinot, June 2024; Levy, July 2024). For all variants, up-to-date COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of severe disease.
As of July 15, 2024, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants KP.2 and KP.3, as well as LB.1, have high prevalence in the United States. Refer to our variants update for more information about specific emerging variants circulating in the United States.
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Plain language summary: Current COVID-19 variants have not been shown to cause more severe disease than other variants or the original COVID-19 variants. |
Q: Do current SARS-CoV-2 variants cause different symptoms than previous variants?
No. Existing epidemiological evidence has not identified any substantial differences in self-reported symptoms of COVID-19 caused by currently circulating variants, such as KP.2, KP.3, and LB.1. Current acute cases of COVID-19 are characterized by classical acute respiratory illness symptoms such as cough and fever. COVID-19 has also been noted to cause anosmia and ageusia. While different variants are not shown to cause substantially different symptoms, the severity and diversity of COVID-19 symptoms have been reported to differ between a primary versus re-infection in the same individual (Ma, March 2024).
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Plain language summary: There is no evidence that current COVID-19 variants cause any different types of symptoms than the previous COVID-19 variants or the original version of the virus. The symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, fever, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. |