- Must have a cumulative score of 2 or higher, but not larger than 6, with symptom severity rated as 0=absent, 1=mild, 2= moderate, or 3=severe for each of the eight symptoms: sneezing, nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, sore throat, cough, headache, malaise and chillness. At least one of the first four "cold specific" symptoms must be present, and none of these symptoms can have been present for more than 12 hours.