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How can you tell if your symptoms are a cold, the flu or the coronavirus?
https://www.pennlive.com ^ | Jan. 07, 2022, 7:02 a.m. | By VICTORIA MILKO

Posted on 01/14/2022 8:14:57 AM PST by Red Badger

How do I know if I have a cold, the flu or COVID-19?

Experts say testing is the best way to determine what you have since symptoms of the illnesses can overlap.

The viruses that cause colds, the flu and COVID-19 are spread the same way — through droplets from the nose and mouth of infected people. And they can all be spread before a person realizes they’re infected.

The time varies for when someone with any of the illnesses will start feeling sick. Some people infected with the coronavirus don’t experience any symptoms, but it’s still possible for them to spread it.

Cough, fever, tiredness and muscle aches are common to both the flu and COVID-19, says Kristen Coleman, as assistant research professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Symptoms specific to COVID-19 include the loss of taste or smell.

Common colds, meanwhile, tend to be milder, with symptoms including a stuffy nose and sore throat. Fevers are more common with the flu.

Despite some false portrayals online, the viruses have not merged to create a new illness. But it’s possible to get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time, which some are calling “flurona.”

“A co-infection of any kind can be severe or worsen your symptoms altogether,” says Coleman. “If influenza cases continue to rise, we can expect to see more of these types of viral co-infections in the coming weeks or months.”

With many similar symptoms caused by the three virus types, testing remains the best option to determine which one you may have. At-home tests for flu aren’t as widely available as those for COVID-19, but some pharmacies offer testing for both viruses at the same time, Coleman notes. This can help doctors prescribe the right treatment.

Laboratories might also be able to screen samples for various respiratory viruses, including common cold viruses. But most do not have the capacity to routinely do this, especially during a COVID-19 surge, Coleman says.

Getting vaccinated helps reduce the spread of the viruses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is safe to get a flu and COVID-19 shot or booster at the same time.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Education; Health/Medicine; Society
KEYWORDS: 1moretime; colds; covid; flu; vaccines
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1 posted on 01/14/2022 8:14:57 AM PST by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Covid means you drop dead in the street.


2 posted on 01/14/2022 8:15:57 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: Red Badger
Getting vaccinated helps reduce the spread of the viruses

Hmmm...

3 posted on 01/14/2022 8:16:16 AM PST by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: Red Badger

Or a cold.


4 posted on 01/14/2022 8:16:38 AM PST by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
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To: Red Badger

Getting vaccinated helps reduce the spread of the viruses


proof please.


5 posted on 01/14/2022 8:17:25 AM PST by cableguymn
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To: BenLurkin

With Mic in hand................


6 posted on 01/14/2022 8:18:12 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

You can’t, and they know it.


7 posted on 01/14/2022 8:18:56 AM PST by SpaceBar
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To: Red Badger

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is safe to get a flu and COVID-19 shot or booster at the same time.”

Oh, well in that case............NO!

CDC>>>>CONvid Disinformation Center


8 posted on 01/14/2022 8:19:38 AM PST by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
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To: cableguymn

Big Pharma wants you to get vaccinated.

Their wholly owned subsidiaries (Big Gov, Big Science, Big Health Care) want you to get vaccinated.

They will say anything, lie about anything, claim anything to convince you to do this.

The middle finger is all that they deserve in response.


9 posted on 01/14/2022 8:19:59 AM PST by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: Red Badger
How can you tell if your symptoms are a cold, the flu or the coronavirus?

I use the Home COVID test.


10 posted on 01/14/2022 8:20:24 AM PST by Yo-Yo (is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Yo-Yo

LOL - that sounds like the right test.


11 posted on 01/14/2022 8:21:19 AM PST by Allegra
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To: Yo-Yo

12 posted on 01/14/2022 8:21:52 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: BookmanTheJanitor

By their own admissions, that statement is a lie. And they wonder why so many people are suspicious of their intent and actions. Maybe they would increase the rate of vaccinations if they stopped the fear porn and started informing people like intelligent adults.


13 posted on 01/14/2022 8:22:36 AM PST by Yogafist
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To: Red Badger

Ask a bureaucrat. After all they’re not greedy politicians but medical experts, right?


14 posted on 01/14/2022 8:23:07 AM PST by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of<p Christ (Jude 3) and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: cableguymn

Just the opposite happens.


15 posted on 01/14/2022 8:25:13 AM PST by saintgermaine (Saintgermain the time traveler)
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To: Red Badger

What a totally useless article for the uninformed and incurious average Joe.


16 posted on 01/14/2022 8:26:17 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (81 million votes...and NOT ONE "Build Back Better" hat)
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To: Red Badger

I guess if you are curious, you could simply get a test.

But they won’t test for flu unless you are literally in the hospital.

Getting a positive COVID test without significant symptoms is going to end up getting you banned from work for a while. Who needs that?

If you assume its a cold, and it goes away in a couple of days...then you had a cold—no matter what virus caused it.

These days, if you are working, getting a Covid test is not worth it unless you have comorbidities, live with someone at risk, or you have lots of time to spend in lines.


17 posted on 01/14/2022 8:26:40 AM PST by Vermont Lt
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To: Red Badger

Just freak out, flap your hands, and run face first into a wall. A broken nose means you have Covid. This result will be as accurate as the useless tests. Six of one 1/2 dozen of the other.


18 posted on 01/14/2022 8:27:06 AM PST by WMarshal ("Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither.")
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To: Yo-Yo

😆


19 posted on 01/14/2022 8:27:40 AM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear (I'm in the control group. I identify as "vaccinated".🤡)
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To: Red Badger

This is kinda funny. I’ve never had a flu vaccination either. So far, so good. 🤣😎


20 posted on 01/14/2022 8:30:14 AM PST by cuban leaf (My prediction: Harris is Spiro Agnew. We'll soon see who becomes Gerald Ford, and our next prez.)
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