COVID-19: Are Chills a Symptom?

Learn what to do if you're feeling cold and shivery.

Medically reviewed by Jane Kim, MD

Both listed as main symptoms, fever and chills are signs of COVID. Chills—and severe chills, medically known as rigors—are episodes of shivering paired with paleness and feeling cold. They are often a result of a fever or the beginning of a fever.

Although chills are a sign of COVID, they necessarily indicate having the virus. "Chills are not specific to COVID-19," infectious disease expert John A. Sellick, DO, professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo, told Health. "They are classically seen in many types of infections, especially influenza, bacterial pneumonia, and other viral infections."

Symptoms of COVID

COVID symptoms can vary individually based on COVID variants or vaccination status. However, the primary listed symptoms include:

• Congestion or runny nose

• Cough

• Diarrhea

• Fatigue

• Fever or chills

• Headache

• Muscle or body aches

• Nausea or vomiting

• New loss of taste or smell

• Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties

• Sore throat

Why You Get Chills/Fever with COVID

When you have a fever, it's commonly caused by an infection like the flu virus or SARS-CoV-2. The fever stimulates your body to release inflammatory chemicals and other substances to try to rid you of the illness—and that can raise your temperature, Thomas Giordano, MD, MPH, professor and section chief of infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine, told Health.

"A raised temperature may help viruses and bacteria get cleared by your immune system faster," explained Dr. Giordano. "In response, you feel cold, your muscles shake to generate heat to warm your body, and you reach for a blanket. The chills get better when you reach the new higher temperature, and now you have a fever."

Treatment for Chills

Chills aren't necessarily a symptom you can treat individually since they tend to be associated with a fever. You may be able to help reduce chills, especially when they're fever-related, if you:

• Stay hydrated

• Take fever-reducing medications if you have a fever

• Use lukewarm water for a sponge bath

However, keep this in mind about fever-reducing medications. "Fever-reducing medications don't cure the infection; they just mask the symptoms. After they wear off, if you are still sick, you could get another round of chills as the fever returns," said Dr. Giordano.

When To See a Healthcare Provider

It's unlikely you would get chills but not have any other symptoms. "Chills usually do not occur by themselves but are part of a constellation with fever, shivering, muscle aches, headache, and other systemic symptoms," said Dr. Sellick.

With that in mind, you would need to see a healthcare provider for the following if they occur with chills:

• Abdominal pain or burning

• Bad cough

• Confusion

• Frequent urination

• High fevers in babies and young children, or high fevers that don't improve with treatment or over time

• Irritability

• Shortness of breath

• Sluggishness

• Stiff neck

If you have chills, a fever, a dry cough, and muscle aches, COVID is a possible diagnosis, but you need testing to confirm if you have it. Seek medical attention for warning signs of COVID, such as chest pain or pressure that won't go away, trouble breathing, or discolored lips, nail beds, or skin.

A Quick Review

Chills are one of the many signs of COVID. They're associated with fever, one of the body's immune responses. While you can't treat chills themselves, you can treat the fever—and infection overall—that's causing them. Just be sure to consult a healthcare provider if you have chills with symptoms like a stiff neck and shortness of breath or suspect you may have or do have COVID.

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.

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