Hallmarks: Runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, congestion. Allergies are typically seasonal, lasting for weeks or months, depending on the allergen in the air (mold is the common allergen in the fall and winter). Seasonal allergiesĪ seasonal allergy isn’t a virus it’s caused when the immune system responds to a harmless non-human substance, like tree pollen, as if it were a dangerous threat. Other potential symptoms: Fever, muscle aches, and fatigue.ĭifferent from COVID-19: A cold does not cause shortness of breath, body aches, chills, or loss of appetite, and it usually doesn’t cause fever. Hallmarks: Congestion, runny nose, cough, and sore throat.
It’s usually mild and resolves within a week. The common cold (viral rhinitis) is an upper respiratory infection that can be caused by any of hundreds of different viruses (including coronaviruses or rhinoviruses). Other potential symptoms: Sore throat, diarrhea, congestion, runny nose, chills, shivering, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite.ĭifferent from COVID-19: Flu usually does not cause shortness of breath. Hallmarks: Fever, muscle aches, and cough. flu season typically lasts from October to March, but flu is present year-round. Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the influenza A, B, or C virus. Note: Some infected people don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19, but they’re still contagious. Other potential symptoms: Sore throat, diarrhea, congestion, runny nose, chills, shivering, headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Hallmarks: Loss of taste and smell (in the absence of nasal congestion), fever, cough, shortness of breath, and muscle aches. It’s a cousin of the common cold, but its potential consequences are far more serious. COVID-19ĬOVID-19 is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused by a type of virus (a coronavirus) called SARS-CoV-2. Learn the hallmarks of common illnesses and how they differ from COVID-19, so you can take the appropriate action. For example, it’s very hard for me clinically, as a physician, to be able to look at someone and say it’s COVID-19, influenza or a common cold.ĭon’t jump to conclusions if you start to feel sick. How do you distinguish one illness from another? It’s complicated.
Now even slight signs of a respiratory bug might make you wonder if it’s the start of COVID-19, the flu, a cold or something else? Learn how COVID-19 symptoms compare to other illnesses, and when you should call the doctor.īefore 2020, you might not have worried much about a tickle in your throat or a little tightness in your chest.
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