What Are the Symptoms of COVID-19?

13. COVID-19 variants and symptoms

Viruses like the SARS-CoV-2 mutate frequently to evade recognition by antibodies. Doing so usually makes them less able to bind to the cells they are targeting, but the newest FLiRT variants have approved the virus's ability to bind. Generally, COVID-19 mutations result in milder symptoms, likely because our immune systems have gotten better at fighting off the virus, but future mutations may lead to new or more severe symptoms, which is why staying up-to-date about emerging variants is important.