COVID-19 Cases Become Milder, With Upper Respiratory Focus, Doctors Say

‘Overall, the severity of COVID is much lower than it was a year ago and two years ago,’ one doctor said.

A nurse at Three Rivers Asante Medical Center runs to a room in the intensive care unit to help as medical staff treat a COVID-19 patient in Grants Pass, Ore., on Sept. 9, 2021. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

COVID-19 symptoms have now become more mild and are nearly indistinguishable from allergies or the common cold, often affecting the upper respiratory tract, a number of doctors have said.

They note that some of the notable COVID-19 symptoms, including a cough or a loss of taste or smell, are less common among patients.