Experts predict a surge in coronavirus cases in the winter - especially after more people gather to celebrate the holidays.

In fact, the number of hospitalizations for new coronary pneumonia has been on the rise. Massachusetts health officials reported on Wednesday that the number of hospitalized patients has been the highest since early March.

At the same time, hospitals across the state are working hard to solve the problem of bed and staff shortages. This problem prompted the Baker government to order hospitals with bed shortages to stop non-emergency procedures from November 29.

As part of a weekly series of "New Coronary Pneumonia Questions and Answers", NBC10 Boston asked three top doctors in Boston on Tuesday what symptoms people should be aware of after a holiday party and how to distinguish between coronavirus and the common cold.

Cough, sore throat, loss of smell and taste-these are some of the most common symptoms of coronavirus. However, COVID-19 patients have a variety of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe.

Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with the following symptoms may have COVID-19:

So-called COVID-19 "travelers" sometimes experience neurological symptoms, which can range from mild to severe. Studies have shown that these symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, numbness and tingling of the limbs, and changes in brain function.

Another condition called "COVID toe" and other rashes can also appear. Hamer explained that these skin manifestations may be caused by clotting in smaller blood vessels. Therefore, their symptoms may be similar to certain neurological complications (especially stroke).

According to reports, patients often describe a symptom as "brain fog," which appears in people who have difficulty concentrating and remembering things.

Boston doctors said it is difficult to distinguish between COVID and the common cold because the symptoms can be very similar.

"If you lose your sense of smell and taste, it is almost certainly COVID-19," said Dr. Shira Doron of Tufts Medical Center. "I heard that people are confused because when your nose is very blocked, your sense of smell and taste will obviously be weakened. That is different. You know, this is a real neurological loss of smell and taste, you will It appears because of COVID-19. If you have that, it is almost always COVID-19. But other than that, they may look like any other virus."

"Basically any mild symptoms can be COVID-19," added Dr. David Hammer of Boston Medical Center. "Especially in the case of previously vaccinated people or young, healthy adults or children, because They may have very mild symptoms."

Experts say that when symptoms appear, it is best to ensure safety through isolation and testing.

"My feeling is that even the mildest cold symptoms mean you should be tested. You can never go wrong with being tested," Duolun said. "But any symptoms, new runny nose, nasal congestion, new sore throat-even mild-especially in the age of vaccination, may be a manifestation of COVID-19."

Doron recommends PCR testing instead of antigen testing. Home-use kits that rely on antigen testing are not as accurate as PCR tests performed in hospitals and test sites, but they have the advantage of giving results in minutes rather than days.

"If you take a PCR test and the result is negative, then you know that even if the symptoms get worse, it doesn't matter," Duolun said. "If you have symptoms, this is the beginning of the symptoms, and you got a good antigen test, you know, you might want to repeat it the next day and the next day to make sure."

Home tests will miss some infections, and in rare cases will incorrectly indicate infections. A popular test will miss about 15 out of 100 infections-these are called "false negatives"-and about 1 out of 100 uninfected people will have a false positive result.

Hamer recommends that people take extra precautions within 7 to 10 days after participating in an event with a large group of people.

Hammer said: "You are not in isolation, but you should be very cautious about other people who have been in contact with them. You know, when possible." "If you are in a public place, please wear a mask, because you may have Exposed and may be hatching, and then you can spread the virus."

A team of Boston doctors talked about everything related to the COVID-19 pandemic.