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Symptoms of cold, flu, and COVID

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ASPartOfMe
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23 Oct 2022, 9:48 am

COVID, flu, the common cold: What are the symptoms?

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Flu season is underway, new COVID-19 sub variants are emerging, and the common cold, while always circulating, is more prevalent in the colder months, which means you may not know which virus is responsible for your symptoms.

Medical experts confirm that the overlapping symptoms can make it difficult to decipher which virus you have, which is why it’s important to get tested, says Dr. Benjamin Abramoff, assistant professor of clinical physical medicine and rehabilitation and the director of the Penn Medicine post COVID assessment and recovery clinic. Testing for COVID-19 and the flu can help you understand the best course of action, such as talking with your doctor about whether you should take drugs like Paxlovid or Tamiflu, which can reduce the duration of COVID and flu respectively, or whether you need to isolate from family and for how long.

Cold symptoms
How soon after exposure symptoms start: 1-3 days

Fever: Short fever period

Aches: Common

Chills: no

Fatigue, weakness: sometimes

Sneezing: Common

Cough: Common (mild)

Stuffy nose: Common

Sore throat: Common

Headache: Rare

Shortness of breath: No

Chest tightness/pain: No

Loss of taste/smell: Rare

Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting: Rare

COVID symptoms
How soon after exposure symptoms start: 2-5 days, but up to 14

Fever: Common

Aches: Common

Chills: Common

Fatigue, weakness: Common

Sneezing: Rare

Cough: Common (usually dry)

Stuffy nose: Common

Sore throat: Common

Headache: Common

Shortness of breath: Common

Chest tightness/pain: Sometimes

Loss of taste/smell: Common

Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting: Common

Flu Symptoms
How soon after exposure symptoms start: 1-4 days

Fever: Common

Aches: Common

Chills: Sometimes

Fatigue/weakness: Common

Sneezing: No

Cough: Common (usually dry)

Stuffy nose: Sometimes

Sore throat: Sometimes

Headache: Common

Shortness of breath: No

Chest tightness/pain: No

Loss of taste/smell: Rare

Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting: Sometimes

AAFA does note that colds and flus can lead to asthma which present with trouble breathing, chest pain or tightness and/or rapid breathing.



To stay on top of the sick season, it’s best to be proactive, get vaccinated, boosted and test if you have symptoms, Abramoff says.

The bottom line is not exposing people if you feel sick, says Malani, noting it’s important to stay home from work when you feel any symptoms associated with these viruses.


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lostonearth35
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23 Oct 2022, 11:42 am

God, I hate this time of year. Fall is otherwise a beautiful time of year but I can't really enjoy it because little ache, pain, feelings of tiredness or general unpleasantness, makes me think it's because I'm getting sick. And yet it's been literally several years since I've even had a cold. But I read somewhere people who don't get sick often are more likely to get REALLY sick when they do. This also makes me worried about my mom, she very seldom gets sick and is really healthy, but she's 70 years old now and has asthma and allergies.

When I was in my 20s and living in a home, however, I would get colds or flu practically every other month all year around. Not surprising really, having to live with so many other people and suffering all kinds of stress and anxiety. It's also possible whatever meds I was on at the time lowered my immunity. On the plus side, it seems to have increased my resistance. Living in isolation even before the pandemic helps, too. I don't even want to think what it would be like living in a home since the pandemic struck.



lostonearth35
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01 Nov 2022, 2:22 pm

I heard the flu is going to be worse than ever this year. That's what they normally say *every* year, but it's going to be worse because of snotty nosed little crotch goblins who were kept in isolation and lockdown because of covid, and now that they've lifted the restrictions the crotch goblins are going out and becoming hosts to all kinds of viruses. And of course there's the RSV I mentioned earlier, although most adults get it as severely and usually can't tell it apart from a cold.

I've booked an appointment for a flu shot tomorrow, but people should really just stop having kids, they're living petri dishes. I can't understand the "sharenting" videos on YouTube where parents have 5 kids or more and they're always sick and puking their guts out and by the time the last kid is getting over the bug, it starts with the first kid all over again. My. Worst. NIGHTMARE.