Do you have symptoms of the flu or COVID-19? Here is how you can tell the difference.
Due to overlapping symptoms between influenza and COVID-19, physicians and health experts are urging everyone six months and older to get vaccinated for the flu this year. One infection can make you more susceptible to others by weakening your immune system.
The flu vaccine reduces the severity and risk of serious complications, according to the Mayo Clinic. But it will not protect you from COVID-19.
Many of the steps recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, and physical distancing – also help prevent the spread of seasonal flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of hospitalizations during the last flu season was the lowest since 2005.
The flu and COVID-19 share several common symptoms. Here's a look at how to differentiate the two viruses:
How are they transmitted?
According to World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 and influenza viruses can occur through direct, indirect, or close contact with infected people through secretions such as saliva and respiratory droplets which are expelled when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
Droplets from a sick person can transmit the virus to other people nearby. The smallest particles may linger in the air, and another person can inhale them and become infected.
What symptoms COVID-19 and seasonal flu have in common?
According to the CDC, the flu has killed an average of 37,000 Americans per year since 2010. The flu season typically gets going in late October, gathers steam over the next two months, and crests in January and February. The agency has issued a warning to providers in November about the early circulation of a strain of flu known as influenza A(H3N2), particularly in young adults.
How flu and coronavirus symptoms typically develop
A study led by researchers from the University of Southern California determined the order of COVID-19 symptom progression, potentially making it easier to recognize an infection. The first symptom of the flu was most likely to be a cough while for COVID-19 it was fever. COVID-19 can also be distinguished by the loss of taste and smell.
However, symptoms vary from person to person. In 40% to 45% of COVID-19 cases, there may not be any symptoms at all. Fewer than 20% of infected who show up at a hospital report having had a sore throat or runny nose. Patients experience muscle weakness, inflammation, arrhythmia, and in some cases, heart attacks.
How long does it take for symptoms to appear?
When a person is exposed to COVID-19, it can take up to two weeks before symptoms show up. It takes even more time for additional people to become ill after being exposed to that person. So several cycles of infection can occur before public health officials notice signals in data used to track the pandemic.
Studies show that dual waves of coronavirus and influenza threaten to overburden the health care system. The highest rates of mortality from COVID-19 are usually in the areas where the pandemic has hit hardest, overwhelming hospital resources and staff. According to the CDC, relaxing of mask mandates and stay-at-home orders may result in an increase in flu cases during the upcoming 2021–2022 flu season compared to the last one.
"From a health care capacity standpoint, we're concerned about having both of these serious viruses circulating at the same time," said Lisa Maragakis, senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins. "The hospitals and health system may become even more overwhelmed."
It's also possible to have flu and COVID-19 at the same time. An analysis by Public Health England found that people with the two viruses were more at risk of severe illness. Overall, 43% of people with co-infection died compared to 27% of those who had COVID-19 alone. Most cases of co-infection were in older people, and more than half of them died. People with preexisting conditions are also more vulnerable.
How long do symptoms last?
For people with a mild case of COVID-19, the recovery time can be between 1 to 2 weeks. Some cases become much worse at around the 10 to 14-day mark, these individuals often need to go to the hospital. In severe cases, the recovery time may take up to six weeks or more and there may be lasting damage to the heart kidneys, lungs and brain. Around 1.6% of those in the U.S. who contract COVID-19 die from the disease.
According to the CDC, uncomplicated flu symptoms typically are resolved after 3-7 days for most people. Although a cough and overall weakness can persist for two weeks, especially in elderly people and those that have chronic lung disease.
Age groups most at risk from Influenza
Young children are also at risk of severe influenza. An outbreak of flu or other preventable disease in children could make it harder for doctors and hospitals to care for all patients.
The study recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine showed that fewer than half of U.S. adults and just two-thirds of children received the flu vaccine during the 2017–2018 season.
If you are worried about getting sick with COVID-19 while getting a flu shot, Maragakis recommends calling your provider and asking about safety measures they have in place.
"In my experience, every clinic and health care system facility as well as the drugstores and other places that are administering the vaccine are doing a very good job to try to keep everyone safe while they get their vaccine," Maragakis said. "It shouldn't be a risk for people to go and get their flu shots. Make sure that you wear your mask and wash your hands and practice social distancing while you do it."
Getting vaccinated
It's important to get vaccinated for both flu and COVID. According to the CDC, flu vaccines do not protect against COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines do not protect against the flu. If you have not been able to get vaccinated for flu until November or later, vaccination is still recommended because flu most commonly peaks in February and can continue into May. After vaccination, it takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza infection. It is safe to administer COVID-19 vaccines and flu vaccines to patients at the same time, and doing so might increase vaccination rates, according to a report published in The Lancet in November. According to the CDC, you can also get a flu vaccine at the same time you get a COVID-19 booster shot.
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
SOURCE CDC; The American Society for Microbiology; John Hopkins Medicine and USA TODAY research
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID symptoms or just the flu? Here's how to tell the difference
