As fall approaches, seasonal illnesses like cold and flu tend to increase, primarily because people are spending more time indoors in contained spaces where the air is dry.
Because cold, flu, and COVID-19 are all respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms, it can be difficult to figure out the exact cause of your symptoms.
At the onset, any of these three illnesses may look or feel the same because the head and throat are involved. You may have a sore throat, a stuffy nose, or a cough. As a cold runs its course, however, usually just those symptoms are involved. Colds are very common.
If you begin running a fever and experience further symptoms, it may be time to think about other possibilities beyond the common cold.
Flu and COVID-19 share many similar symptoms, including fever, fatigue, breathing difficulty or shortness of breath, body aches, vomiting, and diarrhea. One signature symptom of COVID-19 is the loss of taste or smell. This is unique to COVID-19 and doesn’t occur with the flu. However, not all COVID-19 patients experience loss of taste or smell.
Unlike a cold, flu and COVID-19 can both affect the lungs and breathing, with COVID-19 historically causing significant breathing problems depending on the severity of the disease. With subsequent variants, COVID-19 symptoms affect each patient differently, so it’s important to closely observe your symptoms to discuss with your doctor.
If symptoms persist or worsen, schedule time with your primary care doctor who can test for flu and COVID-19, providing diagnosis and treatment.
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