All over Europe, the number of infections with the coronavirus is increasing. In addition, the season is favorable to also catch a cold or flu. How different the symptoms are between the mentioned diseases and how to act properly if you have symptoms will be shown here.
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With virtually no flu cases recorded last year due to the Corona measures, experts expect a large number of flu patients this fall and winter. Especially among the elderly, high case numbers are expected. For this reason, microbiologist Peter Falkner, who comes from Austria, advises in the renowned US daily newspaper “NY Times”: “Pay attention to which infectious diseases are rampant in your community, your workplace or in your environment. If the flu wave has already started and the symptoms fit, there’s a good chance it’s the flu.”
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When you get sick with Covid-19, you usually experience fever, fatigue, coughing and loss of the sense of taste or smell. In rarer cases, there is also sore throat, headache or aching limbs, discoloration of the fingers or toes, diarrhea, skin rash, and eye redness or irritation. The flu, on the other hand, does not cause skin rashes, redness, or loss of taste. In addition, with the flu, besides a high fever, headaches and aching limbs are to be expected in most cases. A cold, on the other hand, does not cause diarrhea or shortness of breath. With a cold, fever or headache are rare. Another difference between Covid-19 and the flu is the course of the disease. While the flu usually comes on suddenly and patients develop symptoms within a few hours, a Covid-19 illness usually begins with mild symptoms that then increase in intensity.
Distinguishing symptoms in children becomes even more difficult. Because these are not at all easy to distinguish from other infections. For example, if children have a cough and runny nose, but are active and lively despite these symptoms, they are usually more likely to have colds or Covid-19 and not the flu. In general, Covid-19 is usually mild in children. Thus, it has often been observed that Covid-19 illness in children usually has few symptoms. Gastrointestinal problems associated with Covid-19 are far less common in children than in adults. People who have symptoms of flu, cold or covid-19 should isolate themselves and avoid contact with other people. Afterwards, people should get tested for Covid-19 at their family doctor’s office as soon as possible
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Those suffering from the flu should drink plenty of fluids, use fever-reducing medications if needed, and stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever subsides. When treating Covid-19, treatment is based on the symptoms that occur. Here, fever-reducing remedies, nasal sprays or medicines for sore throats are recommended. In the case of Covid-19, it is particularly important to maintain quarantine and not to participate in public life again until a negative PCR test confirms that there is no longer any risk of infection for other people. This is the only way to effectively break the chain of infection. In most cases, quarantine ends about 14 days after the onset of symptoms. In case of loss of
sense of smell or taste, it is possible that these symptoms will persist beyond the infectious phase and only gradually alleviate.
