Why you might feel sicker longer with this season’s viruses

(NEXSTAR) – If you’re one of the many, many people who got sick this holiday season, you might still be feeling pretty bad today, weeks after you were first infected.

Whether it’s COVID, the flu, RSV, or even the common cold, there are several reasons people feel like they are staying sicker longer this year, but it has nothing to do with the latest variants or strains, explained Amber D’Souza, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“There is no evidence I’ve seen that there is something in current strains themselves that makes them harder to clear,” said D’Souza. However, with so many viruses circulating at once, it’s possible people are experiencing back-to-back infections of different things, extending the length of time they feel sick.

It’s also possible your immune system is a bit out of practice.

“With the COVID pandemic, including masking, social distancing and isolation, we’ve had relatively mild flu/cold seasons these past few years,” said Cory Fisher, a family medicine doctor at Cleveland Clinic. “Because of that, our immune systems have taken a break and with new exposures this year, they’re kicking into high gear.”

Your immune system’s response to fighting off a virus is actually much of the reason you feel sick, Fisher explained. Common symptoms like aches, fever and fatigue can all be explained by your immune system working in overdrive.

“This is likely the reason for patient perception of increased symptom severity or prolonged clinical course,” Fisher said.

Fisher agreed with D’Souza that there’s nothing about this year’s strains or variants that make them extra bad. With many of these infections, it’s common for certain symptoms to linger. “Colds and seasonal infections are just about as bad as they’ve always been from my perspective,” Fisher said.

If you’re trying to get better faster, Johns Hopkins Medicine advises rest, staying hydrated, humidifying the air you’re breathing, gargling salt water for a sore throat, and using some over-the-counter medications. For both COVID and flu, there are also antiviral medications that can help.

Johns Hopkins advises calling your doctor if cold symptoms last longer than two weeks, if you have a high fever for more than three days, or if your symptoms start worsening.