Fever, Headaches, Weakness? Flu, Coronavirus Symptoms Similar

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — The symptoms are eerily familiar to anyone who's been following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates — fever, chills, headaches, cough, muscle aches, fatigue, weakness, nausea, diarrhea.

They are all indicators of the coronavirus. But they also happen to be symptoms of the flu as well.

To spare yourself and your families a lot of anxiety, the Florida Department of Health is recommending that, this flu season especially, people get flu vaccinations.

The DOH said there are two important reasons not to skip the flu shot this year.

Reducing illness and hospitalization from the flu is more critical this year to protect frontline health care workers and hospital systems, which are already inundated with coronavirus patients.

And while a flu shot doesn't guarantee immunity from the flu, you'll be more likely to get tested for the coronavirus if you begin experiencing the symptoms common to both viruses and, more importantly, prevent these two viruses from circulating at the same time.

The flu and the coronavirus are both highly contagious respiratory illnesses, but they're caused by different viruses.

The flu is caused by influenza viruses – usually Influenza A or Influenza B viruses. There are a lot of influenza viruses out there – and flu vaccines have been around since the mid-1940s. Each year, specific flu vaccines are recommended to fight the strains of influenza that research indicates will be the most common that season.

The new coronavirus is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a virus humans have never experienced before, which means the human body hadn't had a chance to build antibodies to fight it.

There is no COVID-19 vaccine yet, but scientists and researchers are working on it.

The DOH is urging residents to contact their health care provider or pharmacy to get vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible. Once vaccinated, it takes about two weeks to offer protection.
Additionally, people are less likely to spread the flu and COVID-19 if everyone continues to:

  • Stay home if you're sick

  • Cover coughs and sneezes

  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly

  • Wear a face covering when around others or if social distancing isn't possible

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic doesn't show signs of disappearing any time soon although the CDC believes the use of masks and social distancing has helped reduce the number of positive cases.

As of Friday, 794,624 residents in Florida tested positive for the coronavirus, 49,185 have been hospitalized and 16,927 people in Florida have died as a result of the virus.

In the last seven days, 27,961 Floridians tested positive for the coronavirus and 98 people died.

There were 5,444 positive test results Thursday and 4,154 Wednesday. Eleven people died from the coronavirus Wednesday and three died Thursday.

The county currently has a 4.89 percent positivity rate.

Click here to check the number of positive cases in your town.

The Department of Health is reporting low incidences of flu so far this year.

During the first week of the 2020-21 influenza season (week 43), influenza and influenza-like activity remained at low levels across the state. But, because influenza seasons vary in timing, severity and duration, the DOH said it's not possible to predict what the 2020-21 influenza season will be like in Florida.

During the last four weeks, the percent of influenza-positive laboratory results remained low.
Likewise, the percent of emergency department and urgent care center visits with discharge diagnoses that include influenza remained low in recent weeks.

No new influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported in week 43.

You can keep track of flu totals in Florida here.


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This article originally appeared on the Tampa Patch