Feeling a cold coming on? Could it be the flu, allergies or COVID-19?
April 15th, 2020
Feeling a cold coming on? Could it be the flu, allergies or COVID-19?
By Steve Nye
The COVID-19 pandemic is peaking in the US while the influenza (respiratory flu) is still lingering. To top it off, we are entering Spring which means the allergy season will soon be in full bloom. How do we tell the difference? A recent article from Healthline (March 25, 2020) summarizes the similarities and differences between common cold, allergies, flu and COVID-19. While there is overlap of symptoms between all of these, unique primary symptoms for COVID-19 appear to be a dry cough and shortness of breath.
What is interesting is that COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus, which is more similar to the viruses that cause the common cold, than by influenza virus which causes the respiratory flu. However, as noted in the article “the typical symptoms of COVID-19 are more similar to the flu (fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue) than the common cold (runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, congestion, slight body aches, mild headache, sneezing, low-grade fever, malaise).”
If you become ill, we encourage you to be aware of your symptoms and contact your primary care physician for wellness recommendations. Read the Healthline article to learn more about the different symptoms for these illnesses.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/flu-allergies-coronavirus-different-symptoms#Despite-symptoms,-its-not-the-flu