The question is how can you differentiate between COVID-19 and the flu? Or the cold? They seem quite similar in terms of symptoms you might have.
They are all respiratory illnesses, so the lungs are primarily infected. They all affect your breathing. Both make your life miserable for a shorter or longer period of time. So, which one is it?
I am going to briefly explain the differences and similarities between these infections, the way CDC or WHO do on their websites.
Similarities between COVID-19 and the Flu?
- Symptoms
Both illnesses can cause fever, cough, body aches, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea (especially in children).
Both can result in pneumonia.
Both flu and COVID-19 can be mild or severe, or even fatal in (very) rare cases.
Differences between COVID-19 and the Flu?
- Cause
COVID-19: Caused by the 2019 coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2.
Flu: Caused by any of several different types and strains of influenza viruses. Different strains circulate each year.
- Symptoms
COVID-19: Many people infected with the coronavirus do not feel sick or have any symptoms at all, but they can still transmit the coronavirus to other people. Review the full list of symptoms.
Unlike the flu, COVID-19 can sometimes cause a person to suddenly lose their sense of smell (anosmia) or taste (ageusia).
Flu: Flu does not typically affect a person’s sense of smell or taste.
How long symptoms appear after exposure and infection?
Similarities:
For both COVID-19 and flu, 1 or more days can pass between a person becoming infected and when he or she starts to experience illness symptoms.
Differences:
If a person has COVID-19, it could take them longer to develop symptoms than if they had flu.
Flu
Typically, a person develops symptoms anywhere from 1 to 4 days after infection.
COVID-19
Typically, a person develops symptoms 5 days after being infected, but symptoms can appear as early as 2 days after infection or as late as 14 days after infection, and the time range can vary.
How they spread?
- Similarities:
Both COVID-19 and flu can spread from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). Both are spread mainly by droplets made when people with the illness (COVID-19 or flu) cough, sneeze, or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
It may be possible that a person can get infected by physical human contact (e.g. shaking hands) or by touching a surface or object that has virus on it and then touching his or her own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
Both flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 may be spread to others by people before they begin showing symptoms, with very mild symptoms or who never developed symptoms (asymptomatic).
- Differences:
While COVID-19 and flu viruses are thought to spread in similar ways, COVID-19 is more contagious among certain populations and age groups than flu. Also, COVID-19 has been observed to have more superspreading events than flu. This means the virus that causes COVID-19 can quickly and easily spread to a lot of people and result in continuous spreading among people as time progresses.
Recognizing the difficulty in telling apart these respiratory illnesses, Worl Health Organization came up with an elocquent chart that I am going to reproduce here, (an image worth a thousand words?…), in which they compare the symptoms of COVID-19, flu, cold and the Seasonal Allergies.
The only way to positively tell apart between COVID-19 and the flu is to get tested for COVID-19. If it’s positive, you have COVID-19; if it’s negative, you have the flu. Nobody seems to bother with the Cold anymore. It’s mild and it usually goes away in 10 days, more or less.