Difference between Coronavirus and common flu

SARS-CoV-2 is a newly emerged Coronavirus from China in 2019. It causes a respiratory illness called COVID-19. COVID-19 is declared as a global pandemic, with almost every country affected by it. It’s been 7-8 months since the virus started affecting people but no vaccine is found still.

The main common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, flu and breathing troubles. Since COVID-19 and normal flu are somewhat similar. It becomes difficult for a person to differentiate between both. So here are few tips to help you find the difference between both.

· Incubation period

COVID-19– The incubation period is somewhere between 2-14 days.

Common flu– The incubation period is normally ranging between 1-4 days and on average for 2 days.

· Common symptoms

COVID-19– The most common symptoms of COVID-19include

1. Fever

2. Cough

3. Fatigue

4. Difficulty in breathing

Common flu-The most common symptoms include

1. Runny nose or stuffy nose

2. Fever

3. Cough

4. Chills

5. Headache

· Less common symptoms

COVID-19

– Not so common symptoms include

1. Body ache

2. Runny or stuffy nose

3. Diarrhoea or nausea

4. Loss of appetite

5. Loss of taste and smell

Common flu–

1. Diarrhoea

2. Sore throat

· Contagiousness

COVID-19– Is highly contagious whether symptomatic or asymptomatic.According to WHO spreads slowly than flu.

COVID-19 patients remain contagious for as long as 20 days or until death.

Common flu-common flu is also contagious and spreads faster than COVID-19 but has a shorter incubation period.

Flu patients are contagious for about a week.

· Severity

COVID-19– COVID-19 is much more severe and dangerous than common flu.

The mortality rate of COVID-19 is so far 3-4%.

Common flu– common flu is not much severe and the mortality rate is somewhere 0.1%.

· Treatment

COVID-19– As of now no vaccination or medicine is found for the treatment of COVID-19

Common flu– There are seasonal vaccinations and antiviral medicines to treat common flu

Also read,

Basic and severe symptoms of COVID-19

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