Is it the flu, COVID-19 or another illness?

Wave of infections sets up Florida for a long summer

The seasonal flu is spreading way past season in South Florida, sending people to clinics and hospitals with severe congestion, coughs, sore throats and body aches.

“It’s madness, everyone is sick,” said Dr. Hila Beckerman, a South Florida pediatrician.

Local doctors say viruses and bacterial infections that were on hiatus during COVID are back, circulating much later than typical, and setting up Florida for a long summer.

Florida’s Flu Review for the last week of May shows the percent of emergency department and urgent care center visits for influenza statewide increased and was way above the previous three-season average. This is true for adults and children.

The flu spike comes as COVID also is surging in South Florida and common colds are spreading, too.

Because flu symptoms mimic COVID, some people are frustrated that rapid tests are yielding repeated negative results. By the time they get to a health care provider, the window has closed for Tamiflu, a prescription medicine used to treat the flu. Tamiflu works only if you have had flu symptoms for no more than two days. It can be given to anyone 2 weeks of age or older.

Is it the flu?

Lab tests can confirm whether you have the flu, COVID, or something else.

Influenza A is the most common subtype of the flu circulating in South Florida. That strain is associated with coughing, fever, headache, runny nose, fatigue and chills.

It is possible to have COVID and the flu at the same time, and Florida is reporting at least one confirmed case of both in a child.

In addition, Florida, and the Southeast region of the state,

in particular, are seeing outbreaks of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, known as RSV, the state flu report shows. The respiratory virus usually causes mild, coldlike symptoms but can cause bronchiolitis or pneumonia and become serious for infants and older adults who may need to be hospitalized.

“We don’t normally see RSV this month in Florida,” said Dr. Mona Amin, a pediatrician with the Fort Lauderdale office of Pediatric Associates. “With everything circulating, parents need to do their part to keep their child home if they are sick.”

Differentiating between a cold, flu and COVID has become difficult. What makes it more confusing now is with the new omicron subvariants of COVID, symptoms are much milder than earlier variants, and they can masquerade as something like a cold.

Many adults with COVID are reporting fatigue, achiness ... not full-blown symptoms such as loss of taste or smell but they feel sick, Amin said. She recommends getting tested for COVID if you have any symptoms to know if you need to isolate and for how long.

If symptoms are mild, Beckerman said the treatment is the same regardless of the diagnosis. “We would suggest rest, hydration and fever control with something like Tylenol.”

But if you have more severe symptoms such as high fever and chills, especially if you are in a high-risk category, you will need to get to a health care provider quickly to get Tamiflu or Paxlovid (an antiviral used for COVID). Both shorten the duration of the illness.

Why now?

South Florida health care providers say COVID is surging in Florida, fueled in part by less mask wearing, more indoor events, and highly contagious subvariants of omicron.

At the same time, disruption of normal virus cycles has caused a prolonged flu season, and the rise in influenza South Florida is experiencing.

The type of virus you have could determine how long you are sick.

“The COVID that is circulating now seems to be over with fast ... two to three days of fever and then it goes away,” Beckerman said. “The cold and flu seem to be really bad, and people are out for five or more days.”

Of course, a cold, flu or even COVID can turn into a sinus or ear infection or strep throat, which require an antibiotic.

“With anything that lingers more than 10 days, get checked,” Beckerman says.

Anyone who feels achy or unwell should stay home, doctors say. Often, you are most contagious before fullblown symptoms surface. At-home rapid tests for COVID may not show up positive until a few days after symptoms appear.

“Do not go out into the community unmasked if you are not feeling well,” Amin said. “Everyone needs to do their part.”