Posted on 09/08/2020 9:11:42 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), influenza season generally begins in October, spikes in December, and doesn't phase out until March.
With flu season fast approaching and the COVID-19 pandemic not showing any signs of ending soon, how are we supposed to tell the difference between Covid and the flu?
“There are a lot of unknowns, we just don’t know what is going to happen,” said Saint Peters Health Medical group president Dr. Todd Wampler.
He and his colleagues have been discussing the upcoming flu season for weeks, and have identified several elements to help them navigate both viruses.
“Since both viruses are spread the same way, we assume the same things we do to help prevent Covid spread are going to help prevent flu spread,” said Wampler
Which means wearing a mask, washing hands often, and keeping a safe distance from others - those are all things everyone can do to avoid both Covid and the flu.
“The one symptom that seems to be unique to COVID is the loss of a sense of taste or smell. Now that doesn’t happen with everyone with covid, and occasionally it can happen with other viruses as well, but that tends to be one symptom that tips us off a little bit,” Wampler said.
He also added the flu can definitely be a week-long illness and it tends to be a lot worse than the common cold that only lasts a few days, but Covid symptoms seem to last a little bit longer.
He said the best way to prepare for flu season is to get a flu shot and the only way to tell for sure if you have one or the other is to get a test.
so...no clues.
So, it’s the flu. :)
My daughter and her husband both got it. They did lose the sense of taste and smell. It was a minor week long thing. They are both around 40.
“so...no clues.”
Kinda seems that way, no? :)
This should be fun. With everyone wearing masks, how are the experts going to explain away the people who are catching the flu?
COVID involves mostly lower respiratory infection - throat and lungs. The flu almost always starts as an upper respiratory infection - sneezing and drainage, like a cold. There will be, of course, exceptions but that’s how I would differentiate the two in the early stages. The loss of taste and smell is another key indicator (of COVID infection).
My wife and I get our flu vaccine at Publix. $10.00 gift card/vaccin and we are eatting that gtrat Publix Fried Chicken for a couple days.
My patients are all younger adults and for most od them COVID is not even as bad as a cold, though there is one I am following closely because she is really sick.
Hopefully this thing burns out rather quickly.
My state seems to be pretty honest with testing and numbers. My granddaughter has been quarantined twice. She works in a medical type facility and wears a mask. Patients are required to wear them too. She was tested when one of her patients tested positive and once when her beautician, that didn’t wear a mask, tested positive. Ashley wore hers. Both times she tested negative but the second time was weird. She actually had symptoms with a fever that came and went, headache, vomiting, etc. She tested negative for COVID but positive for an “unknown virus”. COVID symptoms were present. I wonder how many positives in some states are actually an “unknown virus” but is recorded as positive COVID?
The common flu already has a vaccine that doesn’t work......
The sickest I have ever been was during a flu outbreak back in 79-80.
I was down for three weeks.
Couldn’t breath or sleep, I thought my brains were going to come out every time I blew my nose.
Everyone I knew had it but I seemed to have it really bad.
Ever since that one time, flu season has been non-existant or very very mild for me.
I swear, I am going to buy a thong and use it as my mask at the store.
The flu kills more people.
I usually come down with a bad cold every year and the flu once every several years. Without exception, I also lose my sense of taste and smell and I’ll bet I’m not alone. Surely I’m not alone?
Everybody is infected
Everything is Covid19
I thought we all agreed here, lol
Reminds me of a girl I knew in high-school.
One evening she insisted that we rush her to the emergency room because she had Toxic Shock Syndrome and was gonna die.
Turns out what she had was the flu at the wrong time of the month.
Why do I feel like COVID will almost disappear the day after the election? Maybe it will be a background story, but no one will care much any more, and even democrats will be happy to open the economy.
Here's a pretty concise summation from a medical website:
Think about the last time you had a cold. Was your sense of taste dulled – or even lost entirely?
You might think that your taste buds were impacted by that cold, but it is actually your congested nose that made your tea and homemade soup taste so bland.
It all comes down to this little known fact: in order to taste properly, you must be able to smell.
Sounds legit.
They truly think we're idiots.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.