Common Cold Or Coronavirus? Here's How To Spot The Difference

As the winter season has set in, many contagious diseases are in full swing. This increase instead of flu and common cold and cough can lead to a lot of confusion. Many of us might have trouble understanding whether we have a common cold or coronavirus. 

This confusion about whether it's a common cold or covid may also be due to the rising cases at the moment. So, it is essential to understand how you can differentiate between the two. Let's discuss the symptoms of the most common diseases in winter to help us identify which one we might be suffering from. 

While the flu and illnesses caused by the coronavirus share many similarities, there are significant differences that allow medical professionals to differentiate between the two. 

The incubation time for the viruses, or the amount of time it takes for symptoms to appear after exposure, is a significant distinction. The normal duration of the flu attack is one to three days. Contrarily, coronavirus can take two to 14 days to manifest. Therefore, it's crucial to isolate as soon as possible following exposure to prevent unintentionally infecting others.

The average recovery time from the flu is seven to ten days, whereas the recovery time from the coronavirus is thought to be at least ten days, especially for individuals who have severe infections, which can result in weeks or even months of sluggish recovery. The actual symptoms can be a little more difficult to detect. 

Here are some symptoms that can help you identify between these:

1. Fever: The ordinary cold rarely results in a fever, but the coronavirus and the flu do. Patients with Covid-19 typically have fevers of 100 F or higher, whereas flu patients frequently have fevers of 100 F to 102 F lasting three to four days. 

2. Headaches: Patients with Covid-19 occasionally experience headaches. People who have the flu frequently get severe headaches. Colds rarely induce headaches, but allergens might occasionally do so. 

3. Extreme weariness: Coronavirus patients occasionally experience this severe form of fatigue, but it usually develops gradually. On the other hand, the flu frequently has great tiredness as one of its initial symptoms. 

4. Aches and pains in the body: The flu virus frequently results in quite bad bodily aches. Coronavirus can occasionally cause aches, but not always.

5. Weariness: Similar to body aches, weariness and weakness are more prevalent and typically more severe during the flu than during coronavirus infection. 

Runny nose, cough: Sneezing, a sore throat, or one or more of these symptoms are occasionally associated with the flu, but none of these are common with the coronavirus. Both the flu and the coronavirus cause coughing. 

Breathlessness: A significant symptom that is more common in severe coronavirus infections than it is with the flu. If you have this potentially fatal symptom, get emergency medical assistance. 

Shortness of breath: One of the most noticeable signs of Covid-19 is shortness of breath. But the probability of contracting SARS-CoV-2 doubles when it occurs together with other significant symptoms like fever and cough.

Loss of taste or smell: One of the characteristics of Covid-19 is a loss of taste and smell. A person should sample meals with strong seasoning and see if they can detect any differences in the flavours to test for a loss of taste at home. In the case of the common cold, nothing of the type occurs.

Keep these pointers in mind if you are having a hard time figuring out which infection or sickness you might have.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.