COVID, flu or cold? How to differentiate symptoms from diseases

Red nose, several sneezing, repeated coughing, voice taken, lots of mucus, headache and joint pain, and even fever. Are they all symptoms of having the flu or going through COVID-19?

When we were still in the middle of summer going through the third wave of coronavirus product of the Ómicron variant, the influenza virus arrived, ahead of the calendar. Thus, we come to autumn with both diseases between us. Although the coronavirus had a significant decline since the peak of January 14 and today totals just over 2000 daily infections in Argentina, on the other hand, cases of flu have increased in the population.

The flu, cold and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, which is why it is often difficult to differentiate them. To distinguish them, it is important to pay attention to body signals, medical diagnosis and avoid self-medication.

“As of December 2021, a progressive increase has been detected in the number of cases of Influenza A, in particular the H3N2 subtype. This represents, epidemiologically, circulation during a period of the year that is not usual for this respiratory virus, which is commonly expected to circulate during late autumn and during winter (mainly between May and August),” explained the Ministry of Health of the Nation weeks ago.

Influenza viruses are primarily responsible for influenza, which mainly affects the nose, throat, bronchi and, occasionally, lungs. Viral infection usually lasts a week and is characterized by the sudden onset of high fever, muscle aches, headache, general malaise, dry cough, sore throat and rhinitis. The virus is easily transmitted from one person to another through droplets and small particles expelled by coughing or sneezing.

That is why it recommends that the population continue with the prevention and care measures in force for COVID-19: maintain ventilated environments, wash their hands frequently with soap and water, wear a mask, and avoid going to work, educational or public places in the presence of symptoms.

Leda Guzzi, from the Communication Commission of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases, explained to Infobae that “during the first two years of the pandemic, large-scale COVID-19 prevention measures such as wearing a mask, confinements, distancing, ventilation, among others, helped reduce the transmission of influenza and other respiratory viruses” throughout the world. “But since the end of last year, after the advance of vaccination against COVID-19, there was more intense citizen mobility and there was a return of the circulation of the influenza virus,” concluded the infectiologist at the Olivos Clinic and the Santa Rosa Hospital of the Vicente López party.

Influenza usually spreads rapidly in the form of seasonal epidemics, and most of those affected recover within a week or two without needing medical treatment. However, in young children, the elderly, and people with other serious medical conditions, the infection can lead to serious complications, lead to pneumonia, and in some cases cause death.

Flu, cold, and COVID-19 have many similar symptoms. This makes it so difficult to tell them apart, which is why sometimes you don't know which is which. In addition, in both cases, you can get sick with either virus even if you are vaccinated. Both COVID and influenza are viral respiratory infections whose most severe cases can be prevented through vaccination.

Fever, dry cough, sore throat or chest, trouble breathing Those are some of the symptoms that could account for being suffering from COVID-19. But they are not the only ones nor are these symptoms unique to this disease. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, and tiredness. But there are many other possible signs and symptoms.

Both COVID-19 and the common cold are caused by coronavirus. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, while the flu is caused by the influenza virus. Meanwhile, the common cold is most often caused by rhinoviruses. These viruses spread similarly and cause many of the same signs and symptoms. However, there are some differences.

“In both infections, people can feel muscle and joint pain. In addition, in both the clinical pictures of COVID-19 and influenza, the patient may have many symptoms and bodily discomfort or have almost no symptoms. It is very difficult to distinguish one from the other, except that the patient undergoes a clinical trial, such as a swab to rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection,” explained the prestigious doctor Daniel López Rosetti, doctor (MN 62540) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and president of the Stress Section of the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH).

He added: “On the other hand, it is possible that if you have the flu you have a lot more joint and muscle pain than if you have coronavirus, but that makes no difference. Basically, the symptomatology is the same in both diseases.”

Biologist José Antonio López-Guerrero, researcher and director of Scientific Culture at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center, a center for experimental research in the areas of molecular, cellular and biomedicine biology, explained that SARS-CoV-2 and the Influenza virus are different families of viruses. On the other hand, it was agreed that both have in common the form of transmission: by air mainly, especially in closed spaces, and more easily in cold and low-light weather.

Ángela Domínguez, coordinator of the working group on vaccination of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE) said that although influenza and COVID-19 are two respiratory infections caused by viruses, and that they have many symptoms in common, among the main differences she highlighted that the SARS-CoV virus -2 is more transmissible than influenza viruses and causes serious illness to more people. In this regard, he expressed that with COVID thrombi can occur in the lungs, heart, extremities or brain and also inflammatory syndrome that affects several systems, and that in influenza they do not occur. Anyway, he clarified that complications such as pneumonia, respiratory failure or heart disease can arise in both diseases.

Although symptoms of COVID-19 usually appear two to 14 days after exposure to SARS-CoV-2, symptoms of a common cold usually appear 1 to 3 days after exposure to a virus that causes the cold, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic in the US.

Unlike COVID-19, a cold is often harmless. Most people recover from a common cold in three to ten days, although some colds can last up to two or three weeks. On the other hand, to differentiate COVID-19 from allergy, on the other hand, it is important to understand that among the most common symptoms of this type of condition, which is not spread from person to person, are itching, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, eye irritation.

The main difference between allergies and viruses is fever. In this sense, a body temperature above 38 ºC could indicate the presence of a virus. Likewise, common allergies are also unlikely to cause sudden loss of sense of smell and taste, a characteristic symptom of COVID-19. Also, while COVID-19 can cause shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, seasonal allergies don't usually cause these symptoms unless you have a respiratory condition such as asthma.

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