Flu or covid-19? Know how to distinguish the symptoms

The signs and symptoms of covid-19 and flu are similar, which makes it difficult to differentiate one disease from another.

The appearance of the coronavirus brought the inevitable comparison with the common flu virus, especially in the winter season. Both diseases affect the respiratory system and can be transmitted from person to person and have similar symptoms, which makes them difficult to distinguish.
But over time, we know more about the coronavirus, and it becomes easier to know its particularities and how to prevent it.

Flu

Influenza is caused by the influenza virus and is seasonal, which means it is more common at a specific time of year.

It is a contagious disease, which spreads easily mainly in places with the greatest crowd of people, through sneezing, coughing, or even during speech.

When we are infected with the flu, the symptoms develop within 4 days after the infection, the cure happens spontaneously, but some signs and symptoms may need to be treated.

It can be considered a harmless disease, although complications can happen especially in elderly people or with established chronic diseases.

COVID-19

Covid-19 is a disease with signs and symptoms that can look like a common flu and can cause a severe respiratory infection such as pneumonia.

It is much more contagious than the common flu, and can have an incubation period of up to 14 days. The main forms of contagion are, like influenza, contact with respiratory droplets infected directly or indirectly.

Its transmission can take place without the presence of signs and symptoms. Although many cases result in mild or asymptomatic illness, many can develop serious illness and require hospitalization or even intensive care.

Treatment is aimed at the signs and symptoms of the disease, as there is still no specific treatment for the disease. The main symptoms are fever, cough, tiredness, loss of smell and taste, congestion and runny nose, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

What to do if you have symptoms

Both the flu and COVID-19 have a similar presentation with numerous identical, if not identical, symptoms. For this reason, the immediate distinction of these diseases is not easy.
This means that you should not fall into the error of self-diagnosis or self-medication, as it could be wrong and put your health and that of others at great risk. It is therefore very important that you seek medical advice in order to have a correct diagnosis and an adequate therapeutic indication.