{"id":33988,"date":"2020-08-09T12:20:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-09T18:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=33988"},"modified":"2025-01-03T11:02:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T18:02:35","slug":"knowing-the-difference-between-flu-and-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/knowing-the-difference-between-flu-and-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"The flu, a cold or COVID-19? What to do if you\u2019re feeling sick."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Woman
It’s very difficult to tell the difference between COVID-19 and the flu. Prepare for flu season by getting a vaccine. Then, if you’re sick, stay home and call your medical provider for advice. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The delta variant is causing a surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States, a spike that’s coming just before flu season, and doctors are reminding patients to get a flu shot in the fall and a COVID-19 vaccine if you haven’t already.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 already has sickened more than 38.1 million people in the U.S. and killed more than 629,000, according to data<\/a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Aug. 26, 2021.<\/p>\n

Now, as we head into flu and cold season, a difficult situation is going to get worse. What should you do if you have a fever, a cough, a sore throat or a runny nose? Should you assume you have a cold and carry on with your regular activities? If your children appear to have colds, should they go to school (if your child has in-person classes) and hang out with friends?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, no.<\/p>\n

When in doubt, call your medical provider and get a test for COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re sick, stay home,\u201d said Dr. Michelle Barron<\/a>, one of the leading infectious disease experts in Colorado<\/a> and medical director for Infection Control and Prevention at UCHealth\u00a0University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All of us are used to downplaying illnesses and going on with our lives when we\u2019re coughing, sniffling or feeling exhausted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re normally go, go, go, go, go,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

But our \u201cplow through it\u201d impulses have to change.<\/p>\n

\"A
Graphic by Clare Kavanagh, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cUse common sense,\u201d Barron said. \u201cGet tested.\u201d<\/p>\n

Click here to learn about how to get tested through UCHealth<\/a> and here to find community testing sites in Colorado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To help people understand the basics about flu, colds and COVID-19, we consulted with various medical experts.\u00a0But please keep in mind that on your own, without a test, you can\u2019t rule out COVID-19. When in doubt, seek help.<\/p>\n

How do I distinguish the symptoms of the flu, the common cold and COVID-19?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The\u00a0symptoms of the flu and the common cold<\/a>\u00a0overlap. Both generally feature runny noses, coughing, headaches and sore throat.<\/p>\n

The flu can come on very suddenly, and according to Dr. Emily Valenta<\/a>, a family medicine doctor at\u00a0UCHealth Primary Care \u2013 Rockrimmon in Colorado Springs<\/a>, people who have the flu also often have a temperature of 100.4 Fahrenheit or higher, along with persistent muscle aches. (Keep scrolling down to learn more about the flu.)<\/p>\n

Neither fevers nor persistent body aches are typical with the common cold<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both the flu and COVID-19 can cause symptoms like fever, chest pain, coughing and difficulty breathing, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a lot more difficult going into this flu season to differentiate between the two,\u201d Valenta said. \u201cWe will have to test for both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can doctors test for COVID-19, flu and other respiratory illnesses at the same time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. UCHealth can test for several respiratory viruses at the same time, including those that cause the flu and COVID-19, said Barron, She is also a professor in the\u00a0Division of Infectious Diseases<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I have flu-like symptoms. What should I do?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI would like to emphasize that if a person has symptoms, we want patients to make an appointment with a provider. We can start the evaluation process through a UCHealth Virtual Urgent Care appointment or a UCHealth Virtual Visit with a primary care provider. Or you can schedule an in-clinic visit, with either Primary Care or Urgent Care,” said Dr. Julia Kavanagh<\/a>, an internal medicine physician at UCHealth Primary Care – Steele Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kavanagh says the best way to receive comprehensive care, is to schedule an appointment so a provider can thoroughly evaluate your medical history and symptoms. “The best way we can help you and your family stay healthy is by early evaluation and testing. The best preventative measures are to get the COVID vaccine, get this year\u2019s flu shot, and wear masks when appropriate,\u201d Kavanagh said.<\/p>\n

First, call your medical provider who may recommend that you either come to a clinic to be tested or that you head to the nearest\u00a0 testing site. You may also schedule a Virtual Urgent Care<\/a> visit and see a provider online.<\/p>\n

If you are sick with any kind of symptoms, to the greatest extent possible, stay home, stay hydrated and quarantine. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen can help with muscle aches and soreness. Don\u2019t ask for an antibiotic; drugs that go after bacteria do nothing against a virus, Valenta said. If you test positive for the flu, there are prescription antiviral medications, like Tamiflu, that can shorten the duration of illness if you take them soon after symptoms begin, but they are not substitutes for getting the flu vaccine.<\/p>\n

Once you have flu symptoms, especially with a fever, that\u2019s not the time to rush out for your flu vaccine, Valenta cautioned. But she does advise doing so a week or two after you get better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is certainly possible, and has happened in the past, where patients will get the infection again in the same season. So the flu shot would protect against that potential second infection,\u201d Dr. Valenta said.<\/p>\n

As we noted earlier, many of the symptoms of the flu and COVID-19 overlap. People who experience symptoms of COVID-19\u00a0can schedule a test from UCHealth<\/a> through sites around Colorado. If you don\u2019t live near these sites, check for other COVID-19 testing sites in your area.<\/p>\n

Where can I get more information about the flu?<\/h2>\n

The CDC regularly updates information<\/a> about the flu.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The delta variant is causing a surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States, a spike that’s coming just before flu season, and doctors are reminding patients to get a flu shot in the fall and a COVID-19 vaccine if you haven’t already. COVID-19 already has sickened more than 38.1 million people in the U.S. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":35332,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4859,4860,2684,9040,9187,4797],"class_list":["post-33988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-flu-season","tag-influenza","tag-readysetco","tag-seasonal-flu-treatment-and-flu-shots"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe flu, a cold or COVID-19? 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