How to tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19

How can I tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19?

It’s impossible to tellwithout a test. Influenza andCOVID-19 have such similar symptoms, you may need to get tested to know what’s making you miserable.

Body aches, sore throat, fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue and headaches are symptoms shared by the two.

One difference? People with the flu typically feel sickest during the first week of illness. With COVID-19, people may feel the worst during the second or thirdweek, and theymaybe sicker for a longer period.

Another difference: COVID-19 is more likely than theflu to cause a lossof taste or smell. But not everyone experiences that symptom.

That leaves testing, which will become more important as flu season ramps up this fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Doctors will need to know test results to determine the best treatment.

Both the flu and coronavirus spread through droplets from the nose and mouth. Both can spread before people know they are sick. The flu has a shorter incubation period — meaning after infection it can take one to four days to feel sick— compared to the coronavirus, which can take two to 14 days from infection to symptoms.

On average, COVID-19 is more contagious than flu. But many people with

COVID-19 don’t spread the virus to anyone, while a few people spread it to many others. These “superspreader events” are more common with COVID-19 than flu, Solomon said.

Preventing the flu starts with an annual flu shot tailored to the strains of the flu virus that are circulating. Health officials would like to see record numbers of people get flu shots this year so hospitals aren’t overwhelmed with two epidemics at once.