How believing your COVID is just regular flu can be a dangerous assumption

COVID infection through the latest variant Omicron is still on the radar of health experts and this is why we should not compromise on hygiene rules. Wearing masks, keeping hands sanitized and getting vaccinated are the three best options so far to keep the coronavirus at a distance.

However, many instances have come forward where COVID has been misunderstood and diagnosed as something else like common cold and flu. Many people hesitate doing a COVID test and continue their life assuming that it’s a common cold or a flu. In doing so, they may be able to recuperate from the viral attack, but in the process they are likely to transmit the virus to others and there are chances it may wreak havoc on the other person.

Therefore, it is vital to understand the differences between COVID and flu and even if there’s an iota of doubt, one should get tested for coronavirus.

Why is COVID misunderstood as flu?

As per the US CDC, “You cannot tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 just by looking at the symptoms alone because they have some of the same symptoms. That’s why testing is needed to tell what the illness is and to confirm a diagnosis. Testing is also important because it can reveal if someone has both the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.”

As said above, they both are caused by viruses, and have a certain set of similar symptoms makes it difficult to ascertain from the symptoms only if the patient has COVID or flu.

Some common symptoms of COVID and flu are: Feeling feverish/having chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue (tiredness), sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle pain or body aches, headache, vomiting, diarrhea and change in or loss of taste or smell.

The nature of the viruses and the way the disease spreads along with some distinct symptoms makes COVID and flu different from each other.

What are the symptoms of COVID?

There are various symptoms of COVID depending on how the host’s immunity reacts to the pathogen. However, a few symptoms which are very native to the disease are: fever, sore throat, runny nose, congestion in breathing, and fatigue.
In many cases headache, aches and pains, rash on skin, or discoloration of fingers or toes, red or irritated eyes and diarrhea is also observed in patients after an attack of coronavirus.

In cases of severity COVID can also affect lungs, stomach and the cognitive health of the individual.

Which COVID symptoms are distinct from those of flu?

It is hard to tell if it is COVID or flu from the symptoms itself. However, there is one striking difference between the occurrence of the diseases. Experts at MayoClinic say, “Symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu appear at different times and have some differences. COVID-19 symptoms generally appear 2-14 days after exposure. Flu symptoms usually appear about 1-4 days after exposure.”
The experts have said that in case of COVID the patient always experiences fever, while in case of flu it is not the case. The occurence of fever in flu happens, but not always, they have said.

In case of COVID, especially when the Delta variant was prevalent, people experienced loss of smell and taste. This symptom is rarely seen in the flu. However, people who were infected with the Omicron variant also did not experience loss of smell and taste. Since loss of smell and taste has already been observed during COVID it can be used as a distinguishing symptom for the disease.

Stomach related issues like diarrhea linked to COVID occur in adults mostly while in case of flu it is mostly seen in children. Same with nausea or vomiting.

“So the flu is very common, especially in the season, and usually the symptoms are fever, headache, muscle ache, but also upper respiratory symptoms such as sneezing and coughing. For COVID-19 it’s the same symptoms, basically, but in addition, we have specific symptoms such as anosmia, which is a lack of smell and ageusia, which is a lack of taste. And many people, especially young people, have experienced these additional and specific symptoms for COVID-19,” says Dr Slyvie Briand, director of the Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness (GIH), WHO Emergency Preparedness (WPE) at the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Why should people be more careful about COVID?

The severity of COVID goes without saying. Since late 2019 till date the entire world is going through phases of lockdown and reopening in view of the emergence of the variants of the virus.
The mortality rate is higher in COVID than in flu. As per a report, as many as 2,752 cases and 44 deaths due to seasonal flu caused by H1N1 were reported in the country in 2020. This is said to be the lowest case in 4 years. Seasonal influenza is caused by a number of influenza viruses like H1N1, H3N2. While many experts say due to COVID, surveillance in flu has dropped, many others say that due to masks and sanitizations the occurrence of flu has reduced as it is also another respiratory disease.

The US CDC says,” Compared to flu, COVID-19 can cause more serious illnesses in some people. COVID-19 can also take longer before people show symptoms, and people can remain contagious for longer periods of time.”

In addition to this, people with flu are contagious for about 1 day after showing the symptom, but those with COVID can spread the virus even before and in some cases without showing any symptoms. Studies have found that COVID infected people can spread the virus 8 days after their symptoms show up.

What is COVID appropriate behaviour?

Wearing masks, keeping distance from infected people, keeping hands clean and sanitized, taking vaccinations and booster shots and following the guidelines issued by the governments and the authorities are sufficient enough to keep the virus at bay.