Agência Brasil explains difference between covid-19 and flu symptoms

At the end of the year, amidst the covid-19 pandemic – although with a sharp drop in the curves of deaths and infections – cases of flu are growing in Brazil. The two diseases can be confusing, given the similarity of symptoms.

It is necessary to have the knowledge of and to promptly react to symptoms due to the risks of transmission of covid-19. According to guidelines from the Ministry of Health, an infected person must, in addition to seeking care, be isolated from other people and quarantine for 14 days. This period may be shorter, depending on the guidelines of the local municipal administrations.

According to infectologist Ana Helena Germoglio, it is not possible to diagnose whether a person has covid-19 or the flu only with the analysis of a doctor, the so-called clinical diagnosis, in technical jargon.

In order to assess the patient’s health condition, tests must be undertaken. In the case of covid-19, there are different possibilities, such as antigen or PCR laboratory tests. In the case of flu, there are also different types of tests.

For this reason, the infectologist highlights the importance that, in the presence of symptoms, people seek medical assistance so that the doctor can indicate the appropriate procedures to get the diagnosis.

Flu x covid-19

Although the symptoms are very similar, there are specific points in each disease. With the flu, symptoms such as fever, dry cough, tiredness, body aches, malaise and headache are common. Runny or stuffy nose and sore throat may occur, but they are less frequent.

The flu can become very severe and even provoke death. According to Fernandes Figueira, an Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (IFF-Fiocruz) institute, hospitalization and the possibility of death are generally linked to high-risk groups. Influenza can also make room for secondary infections, such as those caused by bacteria.

In covid-19, fever and dry cough are common symptoms. Tiredness, body aches, malaise and sore throat may sometimes occur. The disease has other symptoms that, in general, are not felt by those who have the flu, such as loss of smell and taste.

Covid-19 can also lead to more serious conditions, as shown by the numbers. More than 600 thousand people have died on Covid-19 in Brazil. People under more severe or critical situations may have severe shortness of breath, acute pneumonia and other respiratory problems that require ventilatory support or admission to intensive care units.

“Many patients with Covid-19, especially now, complain a lot about loss of smell and taste. Influenza usually makes the patient feel prostrated, bedridden, with body pain, a feeling of congestion. When we compare the two diseases, we can say, influenza provokes many more symptoms. We can only conclude the diagnosis with a laboratory test”, says Ana Helena Germoglio.