New York Times: How to Differentiate Between Flu and COVID-19

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While symptoms for the flu and COVID-19 are very similar, there are several clues that can help differentiate between the two, writes Donald McNeil Jr. for The New York Times.

First, it is important to note that it’s possible to have both infections at the same time, as some patients in China were found to have both earlier this year.

Flu symptoms include fever, sore throat, headaches, body aches, runny nose, stuffed sinuses, coughing, and sneezing. In some cases, there are also diarrhea and vomiting.

COVID-19 is more complicated to identify, due to its flu-like and sometimes “wacky” symptoms. The most common symptoms include high fever sometimes accompanied by chills, a dry cough, and fatigue.

The main distinguisher between the two is a loss of the sense of smell, which was reported by the majority of COVID-19 patients.

Some patients also have red or itchy eyes, while others get redness or blisters on their fingers or toes.

More serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention include serious breathing difficulty, chest pain or pressure, blue lips or blue face, confusion, collapsing, or even losing consciousness.

Read more about the differences between the flu and COVID-19 in The New York Times by clicking here.

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