The flu, a cold, allergies, or coronavirus? Your symptom guide for this year’s flu season

Posted on: Sep 6, 2020

Whether you’re sneezing, coughing, or feeling achy, sometimes it’s difficult to know what’s causing your symptoms. Is this just a cold? Are my allergies acting up? Or is this something more serious?

With COVID-19 in our communities, sorting through your symptoms can be even more confusing—and stressful. Assistant Vice President of Clinical and Operational Excellence, Allison Guste, RN, BSN, CPHQ, is here to share what you need to know to help keep your mind at ease and get back to feeling your best.

Flu vs.Covid

Both flu and COVID-19 can cause mild to severe illness with many common signs and symptoms, however, one difference to note is the loss of taste or smell, which is unique to COVID-19.

“It is difficult to tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19 by symptoms alone. That is why it is important for you to get vaccinated against the flu each year,” explained Guste. “By vaccinating, you can decrease your chances of getting sick with the flu. If you do have symptoms of the flu or COVID-19, it is important that you isolate yourself at home and contact your healthcare provider.”

Spotting symptoms of a common cold

Compared to the flu and COVID-19, a common cold usually doesn’t cause fever and has milder symptoms.

Unlike the flu, COVID-19, and the common cold, allergy symptoms do not include body aches, muscle pains, or a fever.

How do they compare?

Flu Coronavirus Cold Allergies

Onset

Symptoms develop abruptly

Symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure

Symptoms tend to develop slowly

Symptoms come and go with the seasons

Duration

Less than two weeks

A few days to a week for most people

About 7 to 10 days

Several weeks

Symptoms

Coughing
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Headaches
Muscle or body aches
Fatigue
Fever or chills
Vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children)

Coughing
Fever
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Chills
Repeated shaking with chills
Muscle pain
Headaches
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell

Runny nose
Sneezing
Sore throat
Coughing
Slight body aches
Headaches

Runny or stuffy nose
Sneezing
Coughing
Itching in the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat
Headaches
Watery eyes
Pressure in the nose and cheeks
Difficulty smelling

Care Tips

Stay home
Rest
Drink lots of fluids
Avoid interacting with others
The provider can prescribe an antiviral medicine to help ease symptoms if you’re very sick or are at high risk for flu complications

Contact provider right away if you think you were exposed
Stay home in a room or area away from others
Rest
Drink lots of fluids
See if over-the-counter medicines help with symptoms

Stay hydrated
Get plenty of rest
Take over-the-counter medicine to help manage your symptoms

Try avoiding allergens that trigger your symptoms
Use over-the-counter nasal sprays and other allergy medicines

Symptom Guide

Cold Flu Allergies COVID-19

Symptoms

Fever/Chills

Rare
High (100-102 F), can last 3-4 days
Never
Common (100 F or higher)

Headache

Can be Present
Intense
Uncommon
Sometimes

General Aches, Pain

Slight
Usual, Often Severe
Never
Sometimes

Fatigue, Weakness

Mild
Intense Can last up to 2-3 weeks
Sometimes
Sometimes

Extreme Exhaustion

Never
Usual (Starts Early)
Never
Sometimes (Progresses Slowly)

Stuffy / Runny Nose

Common
Sometimes
Common
Rare

Sneezing

Usual
Sometimes
Usual
Rare

Sore Throat

Common
Common
Sometimes
Rare

Cough

Mild
Common, can become severe
Sometimes due to postnasal drip
Common

Shortness of Breath

Rare
Rare
Rare, except for those with allergic asthma
In more serious infections

Loss of Taste and Smell

Never
Can be present

Itchy Eyes, Nose

Uncommon
Uncommon
Common
Uncommon

Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting

Never
Uncommon in Adults, Can be Present in Children
Never
Less Common

Download our symptom guide

Fighting against the flu

The simple truth is that the best way to defend yourself and your family against the flu is to get the flu vaccine.

“Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination,” said Guste. “These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are used to make the vaccine.”

The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.

Vaccines are especially important for those who are most at risk for having complications with the flu:

Children younger than 5 years, and especially younger than 2 years
People 65 years and older
Those with long-term (chronic) health conditions or a weak immune system
Anyone who lives in a nursing home or care facility
Pregnant women and women who have had a baby in the last 2 weeks
American Indians and Alaska Natives
People with a body mass index of 40 or more

Even if you don't fall into one of the above groups, you should still get the vaccine if you want to prevent the flu.

How often should I get a flu shot?

The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older with rare exceptions.

“The reason for this is that a person’s immune protection from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccination is needed to get the best protection against the flu,” said Guste. “Also, the flu viruses are constantly changing, so the vaccine makeup is reviewed each year and updated as needed based on which flu viruses are making people sick.”

What’s in a flu vaccine?

There are three different influenza vaccine production technologies approved by the FDA: egg-based, cell-based, and recombinant flu vaccine.

“The most common way that flu vaccines are made is using an egg-based manufacturing process, which has been used for more than 70 years.,” said Guste. “Egg-based vaccine manufacturing is used to make both inactivated (killed) vaccines, usually called the ‘flu shot’, and live attenuated (weakened) vaccines, usually called the ‘nasal spray flu vaccine.' In the inactivated (killed) vaccine, the virus particles lose their disease-producing capacity.”

A common misconception is that getting a flu vaccine will cause you to get the flu.

“Flu shots cannot cause flu illness,” confirmed Guste. “Flu shots are made with inactivated or killed viruses, and these virus particles lose their disease-producing capacity. The nasal spray vaccine contains live viruses that are attenuated (weakened) so that they will not cause illness.”

Other preventative steps

Other steps you can take to protect you and your loved ones from the flu include:

Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before eating and after touching high-contact areas, like doorknobs and desks
Clean surfaces with disinfectant wipes or a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water
Try to keep your hands away from your mouth and face

Talk with your healthcare provider

According to the CDC, there are situations when you should not get a vaccine because they could cause other health issues.

Talk with your healthcare provider if:

You have a severe allergy to chicken eggs. This means more than itchy skin. You will be advised to get your flu shot in a medical setting where a healthcare provider can monitor you and give emergency care if needed for a severe reaction.
You developed Guillain-Barré syndrome in the 6 weeks after getting a flu shot in the past.
You currently have an illness with a fever. Wait until symptoms get better before getting the vaccine.

Children younger than 6 months of age should not be vaccinated against the flu. Flu vaccines haven't been approved for that age group.

Think you know about the flu? Take our flu quiz to test your knowledge.