Common cold in New York City
Is a cold going around in New York City?
The common cold is a mild infection of the nose and throat. Rhinoviruses cause most colds, but seasonal coronaviruses, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), adenoviruses and enteroviruses cause them too, which is why you can catch several in one winter.
Colds circulate year-round in New York City, with peaks in the fall and again in spring. Packed subway cars, open-plan offices and classrooms make the city an efficient place for a cold to get around.
Know the signs
Common cold symptoms
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Sneezing
- Sore or scratchy throat
- Mild cough
- Mild headache or sinus pressure
- Low-grade fever or none at all
- Mild fatigue
How it spreads
Cold viruses spread through droplets and through hands: touching a doorknob, pole or phone that an infected person touched and then your nose or eyes. Most colds improve on their own within seven to ten days.
The local picture
Cold in the five boroughs
Nobody reports a cold to a health department, which is exactly why community reports matter here. HealthNarc's cold data comes mostly from people around the city logging their own runny noses and sore throats, combined with NYC Health emergency department data for respiratory illness.
RSV deserves a special mention. It causes ordinary cold symptoms in most adults but can be serious for infants, young children and older adults. NYC Health publishes weekly RSV counts, which HealthNarc tracks on its own page.
What to do
Rest, fluids and over-the-counter symptom relief are usually all a cold needs. See a provider if symptoms last longer than ten days, a fever climbs or returns, or breathing becomes difficult, especially in infants and older adults.
Where the data comes from
Sources for Cold data
The live figure above is the citywide count from the official feed HealthNarc imports (NYC Health or the CDC’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System) for the latest four published weeks, compared with the four weeks before. Where no official feed exists, it falls back to community reports from the last 28 days. For exposure notices and guidance, use these sources:
In the news
Cold headlines
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Headlines link to their publishers. HealthNarc does not verify or endorse outside reporting.
Common questions
Cold in NYC: questions people ask
- Is it a cold, the flu or COVID-19?
- Colds usually build gradually and stay mild, with congestion and sneezing front and center. Flu hits suddenly with fever and body aches. COVID-19 can look like either. If you need to know, take a test.
- Does HealthNarc track RSV?
- Yes. NYC Health publishes weekly RSV counts for the city, and HealthNarc tracks them on the RSV page. RSV causes cold-like symptoms, so some RSV activity also shows up in community reports of colds and coughs.
- How long is a cold contagious?
- You are most contagious in the first two or three days, when symptoms are worst, but you can spread a cold for about a week.
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