How to know the Difference between Covid 19 and Flu: Covid 19 is a very controversial illness. So many people confuse it for so many other illnesses. It is still as confusing today.
So many people have died from covid thinking it is some other illness while so many people have been dying from the fear of covid, even when they have illnesses like cold, flu, malaria. This article will continue from the series of articles that properly defines covid, and give a clear difference between covid 19 and flu.
How to Know the Difference Between Covid 19 and Flu
Influenza (flu) and Covid are both very contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are not caused by the same viruses. Covid 19 is caused by an infection with a coronavirus identified in 2019 and flu is caused by an infection with a flu virus. C How to know the Difference between Covid 19 and Flu.
Similarities Between Covid 19 and Flu
Both illnesses have varying degrees of symptoms, which ranges from no symptoms at first to very severe symptoms. The common symptoms that Covid 19 and Flu share include.
- Fever or 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
- Change in or loss of taste or smell, although this is more frequent with COVID-19.
It will be very beneficial to know the individual symptoms of these diseases, therefore, I am going to list them below,
The Symptoms of flu
Flu can cause a mild illness and at times lead to death. Flu is different from the common cold. It comes on suddenly. People who have flu possess the following symptoms;
- fever* or feeling feverish/chills
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- muscle or body aches
- headaches
- fatigue (tiredness)
- some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
It Is important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
Symptoms of Covid 19
Covid 19 has a wide range of symptoms. These symptoms range from mild symptoms to severe illnesses. Symptoms here may appear 2 – 14 days after exposure to the virus. The major symptoms of covid 19 are;
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
The symptoms of covid 19 may vary from person to person. For example, older adults and people who have underlying medical conditions like heart or lung infections or diseases, or diabetes seem to have a higher risk of developing more serious complications from the illness.
Differences Between Covid 19 and Flu
The differences between these two illnesses will be expressed in different situations and categories. Here they are below;
| Flu | Covid 19 | |
| How Symptoms appear after exposure and infection | It may take longer to appear, 2 to 14 days | Symptoms may appear between 1 to 4 days |
| How long people can spread the virus | Most people with Flu are contagious for about 1 day before they show symptoms | Symptoms can be spread between 2-3 days before their symptoms show up. |
| How it spreads | Can easily spread than flu | |
| People at higher risk | Covid 19 seems to cause more severe illnesses in some people | |
| Complications | People with flu can recover on their own in few days or two weeks but some people will experience some complications. These complications include bacterial infections and Diarrhea | Additional complications with covid 19 involves blood clots in the veins, arteries, of the lungs and the heart, legs or brain. Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) and in Adults |
These are the common differences between covid 19 and Flu. Drop your comments below if you have contributions.
