39: How to find out if you have a cold, flu or COVID-19?

- May 04, 2020

Q: How do I know if I have a cold, flu or COVID-19?

💁Tracy:

A cold is usually accompanied by such symptoms such as nasal congestion, running nose, sneezing, and coughing. Very few people will have fever more than a week.
A flu will most likely cause a fever that lasts for about a week and is often accompanied by whole-body symptoms, such as muscle soreness, fatigue, and headache.
COVID-19 symptoms include fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, other digestive and neurological problems. Patients may also complain of such symptoms as nasal congestion, running nose, diarrhea, sneezing, sore throat, and headache.
In mild cases of COVID-19, patients only have low fever, fatigue, dry cough, etc. without pneumonia symptoms. Pneumonia may start after one week of mild symptoms, that usually shows up with shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, dizziness or change of skin color caused by low blood oxygenation level. COVID-19 symptoms normally last longer and more severe, involving lower-respiratory symptoms than a regular cold or flu. Current scientific understanding of COVID-19 is still evolving.

Although symptoms of COVID-19 are different from those of flu, it can be difficult to distinguish the earlier symptoms from those of a cold and flu without further tests. Therefore, travel or contact history will be helpful to assist the diagnosis, for example, by asking if the person has had any contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients or any exposure to a large number of people without proper protection. Any travel, social gathering, or contact with other infected people can increase the risk of infection.

💁Tracy's tips on the differences between a cold, flu, and COVID-19:

Common cold is mainly caused by common respiratory viruses that infect upper respiratory track.
Flu is a respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza viruses.
COVID-19 is more contagious and with more severe symptoms than a regular flu. Unlike flu, there is no specific treatment or vaccine at this time for COVID-19. Confirmed COVID-19 patients and asymptomatic patients are currently the main spreaders of the virus.

All three types of diseases are spread by person-to-person contact, air droplets, or body fluid of the infected people. Therefore, the guidance for prevention is the same. Current data suggest that aerosol transmitted of the COVID-19 virus is also possible.

Therefore, facemasks and N95 or above respirators are also necessary when in close contact of infected patients.

Simple facts about COVID-19:

Symptoms of the common cold and flu usually appear in the upper respiratory tract, while COVID-19 is mainly characterized by symptoms in the lower respiratory tract that can be identified by X-Ray or CT scan of the lung.