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.

Credit: Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris, The Spinoff
  • 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.
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Who should get coronavirus treatments first? Doctors face ethical dilemmas

Facing a shortage of medical resources, doctors in the U.S. may have to make difficult moral decisions over how to allocate care.


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  • The U.S. likely doesn't have enough ICU beds or ventilators to effectively manage an influx of COVID-19 patients.
  • Italy has been dealing with a shortage of medical resources for weeks. Doctors there have been trying to prioritize care based on who's most likely to benefit.
  • Doctors in the U.S. will likely take a similar utilitarian approach, if resources become scarce.

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Study shows how long coronavirus stays alive on common materials

Researchers figure out the infectious periods of coronavirus on cardboard, metal and plastic.

Photo By BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images
  • A new study tested how long coronavirus stays infectious on surfaces like plastic, cardboard and metal as well as air.
  • The results show that the virus can live from hours in air to several days on steel.
  • The research underscores the importance of cleaning household and hospital areas and objects.
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Scorpion venom drug may reverse alcohol damage in babies

A new drug derived from scorpion venom reversed developmental damage in mice exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.

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  • Scientists tested a drug derived of scorpion venom on mice exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.
  • The drug was able to reverse specific developmental damage caused by alcohol and will next be tested on humans.
  • Researchers pinpointed specific molecular mechanisms causing developmental problems.
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How mass hysteria happens (and how to avoid the COVID-19 panic)

Can a real pandemic (such as COVID-19) turn into mass hysteria?

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  • Mass hysteria, also known as epidemic hysteria, occurs between two or more people who share beliefs related to symptoms suggestive of organic illness.
  • Research suggests that real pandemics can lead to mass hysteria.
  • A key factor that creates hysteria around pandemics is that the population's ability to remain calm and react logically to the situation at hand is blurred and unfocused due to the anxiety and fear felt by large groups of people.
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