Are my symptoms COVID-19 or the flu? Here's the difference - Statesman Journal

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With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to rage in Oregon, flu season is also again looming — and national health experts are warning that 2021 could be a bad flu year.

COVID-19 and the flu share similar symptoms, so it can be difficult to determine which infection you might have if you begin feeling ill.

Both can present muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat, fever and shortness of breath. 

However, there are a number of differences between the two contagious respiratory diseases.

People with COVID-19 often experience a loss of taste or smell, which is rare in cases of the flu. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are also more common with COVID-19, though they can also be associated with the flu, especially among children.

While coughing is associated with both COVID-19 and the flu, people with COVID-19 have a dry cough.

Onset of symptoms tends to be slower for COVID-19 — any time between two and 14 days after exposure, but typically after five days or more. Flu symptoms tend to present themselves one to four days after exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends seeking emergency medical care for COVID-19 if someone experiences:

  • Trouble breathing.
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.
  • Confusion.
  • Inability to wake or stay awake.
  • Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips or nail beds, depending on skin tone.

Worried about getting a COVID-19 shot?: Here are the side effects

While cases of the flu are usually less severe than COVID-19, there are still hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths from the flu annually in the United States.

The CDC says medical assistance should be sought if someone is experiencing:

  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
  • Persistent dizziness, confusion
  • Inability to arouse
  • Not urinating
  • Severe muscle pain
  • Severe weakness or unsteadiness
  • Fever or cough that improves but then returns or worsens
  • Worsening of chronic medical conditions

Public health experts recommend getting an annual flu vaccination, especially this year with coronavirus cases still near record highs.

Wearing masks and maintaining physical distance in public spaces — public health recommendations for reducing spread of COVID-19 — also decrease the spread of influenza. 

Reporter Connor Radnovich covers the Oregon Legislature and state government. Contact him at cradnovich@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich.

Support local journalism by subscribing to the Statesman Journal. 

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