Why COVID-19 is still a concern

COVID-19 is an illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that can lead to potentially serious consequences.

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Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19

Factors Affecting Health Equity

Long COVID

MIS-C and MIS-A

Symptoms of COVID-19 Illness

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People report a wide range of COVID-19 symptoms, spanning from mild to severe

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can include:

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
This list does not include all the possible symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms may change with new COVID-19 variants and can vary by person. To learn more about possible COVID-19 symptoms, please visit CDC.gov.

Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19

exclamation-mark The information in this section is not product specific and does not include statements of vaccine efficacy or effectiveness.

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COVID-19 continues to pose health risks to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Some people with certain risk factors are at an increased risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.

According to the CDC, this means that a person with one or more of these conditions who gets very sick from COVID-19 (has severe illness from COVID-19) is more likely to:

  • Be hospitalized
  • Need intensive care
  • Require a ventilator to help them breathe
  • Die

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  1. Ajufo E, Rao S, Navar AM, Pandey A, Ayers CR, Khera A. U.S. population at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Am J Prev Cardiol. 2021;6:100156. Published correction appears in Am J Prev Cardiol. 2021;6:100195.

~75% of American adults have at least one risk factor for getting very sick from COVID-19.1

According to the CDC, a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases as the number of risk factors they have increases. Risk factors can include:

  • Being 50 or older
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Being a current or former smoker
  • Having diabetes
  • Having a heart condition
  • Having a chronic lung disease
  • Having a chronic kidney disease
  • Having a weakened immune system
  • Having a neurologic condition
  • Being pregnant

This isn’t a complete list of risk factors and is not in the order of severity.

Visit CDC.gov to learn more about conditions that increase your likelihood of becoming very sick with COVID-19.

Factors Affecting Health Equity

Some people have a greater chance of getting very sick or even dying from COVID-19 because of where they live or work, or because they can’t easily access healthcare. This includes many people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities.
Explore additional information from the CDC regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Equity and Vaccine Information for People With Disabilities.

Long COVID

exclamation-mark The information in this section is not product specific and does not include statements of vaccine efficacy or effectiveness.

Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as Long COVID.

Long COVID is a serious illness that can result in chronic conditions requiring long-term care. Symptoms and conditions can emerge, persist, resolve, and reemerge over weeks and months.

Long COVID may last weeks, months, or years after a COVID-19 infection and can include a wide range of symptoms*:

General symptoms

  • Fever
  • Tiredness
  • Fatigue
  • Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort

Respiratory and heart symptoms

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cough
  • Chest pain
  • Fast-beating or pounding heart

Neurological symptoms

  • Difficulty thinking or concentrating
  • Headache
  • Sleep problems
  • Lightheadedness
  • Pins-and-needles feeling

Digestive symptoms

  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach pain
*This list does not include all the possible symptoms of Long COVID. To learn more about possible Long COVID symptoms, please visit CDC.gov.

long-covid

According to the CDC, although Long COVID occurs more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, anyone who has been infected or reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience it, including children.

Each time a person is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, they have a risk of developing Long COVID.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children and Adults

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The information in this section is not product specific and does not include statements of vaccine efficacy or effectiveness.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19 in which different internal and external body parts become inflamed, including the:

  • Heart
  • Lungs
  • Kidneys
  • Brain
  • Skin
  • Eyes
  • Gastrointestinal tract

MIS can affect children (MIS-C) and adults (MIS-A).

MIS-C case definition includes people who are younger than 21 years old, and MIS-A case definition includes people who are 21 years and older.

Visit CDC.gov to learn more about MIS-C and MIS-A signs and symptoms, and when to seek emergency care.

healthcare

Talk to your healthcare provider about steps you can take to help protect yourself against COVID-19.

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