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Do you have a cold, the flu, or COVID-19?
What symptoms to watch for, how to get tested, what to do if you're sick, and when to go to the doctor.
Symptoms of COVID-19, flu and cold.
- Differences in symptoms exist between a cold, the flu and coronavirus.
- The CDC issued specific recommendations about what to do if you're sick and when to get tested.
- Calling the doctor is important if you feel sick or have questions.
How do you know you have coronavirus?
With so much misinformation flying around, it's important to understand the differences in the symptoms between COVID-19 (the infamous coronavirus), the regular flu, and a cold. A number of symptoms overlap between these three ailments, often making it hard at first to figure out which one you might have.
In particular, all three share dry coughing, a runny nose, a sore throat, body aches, and fatigue. But a fever is not a frequent symptom of colds, while it's a feature of the flu and coronavirus infections, as are diarrhea and headaches.
If you find yourself sneezing, that's not as common for the coronavirus or the flu, but would strike you if you had a cold.
The Spinoff, a media portal from New Zealand, made a handy chart, featured above, which summarizes the variations.
Breathlessness and respiratory trouble are the hallmarks of COVID-19. These and symptoms like cough and fever tend to appear from 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.
Another symptom of coronavirus that has been gaining attention is the sudden loss of taste and smell.
Based on a rising number of cases around the world, the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and ENT UK both released warnings that some patients tested positive for coronavirus with only the changed sense taste or smell being the symptom.
How to get tested
The CDC maintains that not everyone needs to get tested, especially as there's been a lasting shortage of tests, which has caused havoc in medical facilities throughout the country and likely damaged containment efforts.
Another reason to not get tested: Most people who get coronavirus generally develop mild symptoms and can get better at home.
There's also no special treatment currently available for coronavirus, even if some medicines are being closely studied.
Furthermore, as CDC writes in bold on its page "decisions about testing are at the discretion of state and local health departments and/or individual clinicians."
If you believe your symptoms are getting worse and merit testing, you should try giving a call to your state or local health department or your doctor. The doctor would be the one to recommend your case to the state and local department to try to get you tested.
What to do if you’re sick?
If you do get sick or think you're falling sick, the CDC recommends some steps to protect both you and the community at large.
* Stay at home
Overall, you should stay at home unless you need to get medical care. This is both for your health and for the safety of everyone else, who might be infected if you were to go out.
You would also be more comfortable at home.
* While at home, you should still try to stay away from other inhabitants there and seek isolation, limiting your interaction with pets and animals to not get them sick either.
* You should also try to reduce stress, as anxiety about the illness can cause you additional ill health whether you have coronavirus or not. The CDC would like for people to take breaks from watching the news and being on social media, taking better care of their bodies, unwinding and connecting with others.
* Call your doctor before you go to get medical care. Especially if you're feeling worse.
* Avoid public transportation so you don't spread the disease.
* If you're outside, wear a face mask if you are sick. That way you won't infect people.
* You should also continue practicing good hygiene: wash your hands often; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; cover your mouth while you cough or sneeze, ideally into a tissue or the crook of your elbow, not your hand; and clean and disinfect high-traffic surfaces in your house.
10 things you can do to manage COVID-19 at home
When to go to the doctor?
The CDC recommends that if you develop warning signs for COVID-19, you should consider it an emergency and look for medical attention right away. Remember to call ahead.
The emergency warning signs are:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
Higher ed isn’t immune to COVID-19, but the crisis will make it stronger
The pandemic reminds us that our higher education system, with all its flaws, remains a key part of our strategic reserve.
- America's higher education system is under great scrutiny as it adapts to a remote-learning world. These criticisms will only make higher ed more innovative.
- While there are flaws in the system and great challenges ahead, higher education has adapted quickly to allow students to continue learning. John Katzman, CEO of online learning organization Noodle Partners, believes this is cause for optimism not negativity.
- Universities are pillars of scientific research on the COVID-19 frontlines, they bring facts in times of uncertainty and fake news, and, in a bad economy, education is a personal floatation device.
The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle may finally be solved
Meteorologists propose a stunning new explanation for the mysterious events in the Bermuda Triangle.
One of life's great mysteries, the Bermuda Triangle might have finally found an explanation. This strange region, that lies in the North Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, has been the presumed cause of dozens and dozens of mind-boggling disappearances of ships and planes.
Should churches be considered essential businesses?
A debate is raging inside and outside of churches.
Demonstrators holding signs demanding their church to reopen, protest during a rally to re-open California and against Stay-At-Home directives on May 1, 2020 in San Diego, California.
- Over 1,200 pastors in California claim they're opening their churches this week against state orders.
- While church leaders demand independence from governmental oversight, 9,000 Catholic churches have received small business loans.
- A number of re-opened churches shut back down after members and clergy became infected with the novel coronavirus.
What can your microwave tell you about your health?
An MIT system uses wireless signals to measure in-home appliance usage to better understand health tendencies.
For many of us, our microwaves and dishwashers aren't the first thing that come to mind when trying to glean health information, beyond that we should (maybe) lay off the Hot Pockets and empty the dishes in a timely way.
How swipe-based dating apps are impacting your mental health
Online dating has evolved, but at what cost?
