Flu or Covid? How can I tell them apart?

Seasonal flu and Covid 19, so different, so similar. One could summarize in this sentence the many differences and the many similarities between these two viral infections. Now that the classic disease that strikes in autumn and winter is also spreading, however, it is trying to highlight similarities and differences. To help diagnose and consequently have fewer cases of seasonal flu, experts recommend vaccinating. This can also help hospitals not have to deal with people arriving in the emergency room because of complications of seasonal flu which are still many and important.

Flu or Covid: contagion

Both diseases are caused by viruses and share the method of transmission:

• in primis le Flügge droplets or droplets, which are the droplets of saliva that we excrete when we breathe, speak, cough or sneeze.
• Contact with an infected person or even with material contaminated by the infected person such as paper handkerchiefs, cutlery, glasses. In short, on objects that have come into contact with the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.
• On the surfaces there is more perplexity. Although there are many studies that testify that the virus is present even for a long time on surfaces, there are few that show with certainty that in fact someone is infected simply by touching a parcel or products bought in a supermarket.
• It has been seen that there is the possibility of infection even when using the toilet after it has been used by an infected person. Here the problem lies in the fact that flushing the toilet creates an aerosol cloud that could contain the virus. That is why it is always good to close the toilet seat before running the flush.

What are the symptoms?

It is precisely the symptoms that can raise doubts in recognizing the two diseases, because in most cases they can be superimposed. In practice, only with a swab is it possible to understand whether they have been affected by one infection or the other.

The main symptoms of Covid 19 are:

• temperature,
• dry cough,
• fatigue,
• pain in the bones and muscles.

However, there may be:

• sore throat,
• headache,
• diarrhea,
• nausea,
• He retched.

So far all symptoms that practically coincide with those of the flu.

Typical symptoms of Covid can instead be:

Influenza or Covid: the appearance of symptoms and incubation times

One study sought to investigate whether or not there is an order of manifestation of symptoms. Of course, one cannot help but generalize. However, this research has seen that with Covid 19 the first symptom tends to be fever, followed by cough, pain in muscles and bones, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In general, with the seasonal flu, the first symptom is cough.

As for the incubation, therefore the time between the infection and the manifestation of symptoms, there are also important differences. Sars-Cov-2 infections have a longer incubation period. The average is about five days, but it can go beyond ten. In some cases, however, they can appear even after two days. That’s why isolation and cautionary quarantine last fourteen days. As for the flu, the onset of symptoms is much faster: from one day to four.

The question of children

Here the differences are enormous. As is now known with Covid, children can be a vehicle for transmission, but only rarely do they have symptoms, especially the most important ones. Small children then even less. In seasonal flu, however, children are not only generally the first case of contagion, but they are also those who get the most sick and can also be affected by severe symptoms that require hospitalization. That is why they are part of the categories to which the vaccine is recommended.

Flu or Covid: the most serious cases and the death rate

Here, too, the differences seem remarkable. In general, as regards Covid, we know that over 50% of cases are asymptomatic, 30% have mild or moderate symptoms, 15% manifest a serious infection, 5% are a critical case. It is still early to establish what the actual death rate of Covid 19 is, even if the latest studies speak of 1.5 percent. However, it is very difficult to calculate the mortality rate in such a young disease and above all that has all these asymptomatic. As for seasonal flu, the rate is still low. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità estimates that about 8,000 deaths per year are linked to complications of the flu, which in some seasons can even reach 12,000. However, it should be remembered that against the seasonal flu virus there is a vaccine every year, which is strongly recommended for the most fragile people, such as children, the elderly and immunosuppressed, which limits the number of serious cases.