Is it COVID-19 or the Flu?: How To Tell The Difference
Written by Leslie K. Hughes
With the twindemic expected to happen this year, we will see the numbers in flu cases rise as compared to last year. And since COVID is still around, it’s important to understand the difference in symptoms between the two so you know whether what you may have is the flu or COVID-19.
COVID-19 Symptoms
At this point in the pandemic, we have a strong understanding of the signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
According to the CDC, COVID symptoms include:
Fever
Chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle aches
Body aches
Headache
Loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Typically, these symptoms show up anywhere between 2 and 14 days after exposure to the COVID-19 virus, and the level of severity of the symptoms varies from person to person. Some people may experience extreme symptoms, while other people may be more asymptomatic.
Because the symptoms are not as strong for some as they are for others, you must get tested at the first sight of any symptom or known exposure to someone with the COVID-19 virus. Even if you’ve got something as simple as a runny nose, head to Sameday Health for a quick and easy COVID test to make sure you’re in the clear.
Flu Symptoms
This is where things get tricky. Some of the symptoms that are signs of the flu are very similar to symptoms of COVID-19.
According to the CDC, flu symptoms include:
Fever
Chills
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Muscle aches
Body aches
Headaches
Fatigue
Vomiting (more common in children)
Diarrhea (more common in children)
Because the symptoms of COVID and the flu are so similar, we again stress the importance of COVID testing. This is the only sure way to tell whether you have the flu or COVID.
How to treat COVID
If you get tested and find out that you are positive with COVID, the first thing you need to do is quarantine. This virus is one that you have to wait out, and you should isolate for at least 10 days.
If your symptoms are mild to moderate, or you are someone who is at high risk of getting seriously ill from COVID, you may want to consider monoclonal antibody treatment. This can help to alleviate some of the symptoms from COVID and is known to help the virus from getting too severe.
In addition to that, you want to make sure that you are staying hydrated, getting as much sleep as possible, and taking medications that help to reduce fever, if needed.
How to treat the seasonal flu
The best way to beat this virus and get well as quickly as possible is by getting lots of sleep and drinking fluids to help flush out your body.
However, if you are at high risk of complications with the flu, then you may want to talk to your doctor about an antiviral drug to help treat it. These can help alleviate the symptoms as well as keep the virus from progressing into something potentially serious.
You can expect flu symptoms to last between 5 and 7 days, but if you got the flu vaccine, your symptoms may last just a couple of days.
