These symptoms can also be caused by a cold virus other than a rhinovirus. Usually there is no fever; in fact, fever and more severe symptoms may indicate that you have the flu rather than a cold. Cold symptoms typically last for about 3 days. At that point the worst is over, but you may feel congested for a week or more. Except in newborns, colds themselves are not dangerous. They usually go away in 4 to 10 days without any special medicine.