Cold Vs. Flu Vs. Coronavirus

Graphic: © herbshealthhappiness.com

A pounding head, scratchy nose, stuffy nose – is it the seasonal flu or a cold? Both are respiratory infections caused by viruses and they have several overlapping symptoms, making it nearly impossible to differentiate between the two. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s advisable to run special tests to ascertain your illness. ^[1] Alternatively, you can take a closer look at the symptoms as illustrated in the diagram above:

What is the Common Cold?
The American Lung Association notes that there are hundreds of possible viruses that can cause the common cold – with the rhinovirus being the most prevalent. ^[2] The upper respiratory infection is highly contagious and it comes on gradually.

Although you can catch a cold at any time of the year, cases are rampant during winter months because the causative viruses thrive in such conditions. Symptoms include mild tiredness, body aches, headaches, cough, sneezing, sore throat, and a runny nose.

What is Flu?
The flu or influenza is an upper respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses (A, B, or C). The illness is generally seasonal, running during spring before peaking during winter. Similar to the common cold, the seasonal flu is highly contagious through coughs, sneezes, and even kissing.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (especially in children), runny/stuffy nose, headache, severe body aches, shaking chills, sore throat, moderate to high fever, and a dry cough. The flu is more severe than the common cold, and it can develop into life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia.

What is a Coronavirus?
There are in fact numerous coronaviruses but the coronavirus disease of 2020 is named COVID-19. ^[3] It’s a highly contagious viral infection that is originally thought to have begun in animals before “jumping” to humans and then spreading out through person to person. In many people COVID-19 causes a mild illness but in approximately 15% of cases, typically older or already sick persons, it can cause severe acute respiratory infection and may lead to death in a minority of instances if not treated.

It can take up to 14 days for the symptoms to show up. Symptoms include fever (38 degrees Celsius or above), dry cough, loss of taste and/or smell, fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, nausea, and diarrhea. ^[4]

Please note that this content should never be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinicians.