Do you have a cold, the flu or COVID?

From the outbreak of COVID in late 2019 until July this year, I somehow managed to avoid contracting the disease. In fact, throughout that entire period I never caught so much as a cold. This was probably the result of good luck rather than good management. Although I took most reasonable precautions during the pandemic, I was often out and about (when rules permitted).

My run of good health came to a crashing halt a couple of months ago when I was hit hard. It started with a sore throat and the nose and head soon followed. A blocked nose and throbbing head, then an aching body. Within a couple of days I felt truly awful.

This had to be more than just an ordinary cold or even flu, I thought. “COVID’s finally got me,” I said to myself. 

But an initial COVID test disagreed. It came up negative, as did all subsequent tests in the following week as I began to feel worse. More tests followed after I turned the corner and began to recover. All were negative.

So did I really have ‘just’ the flu, or even nothing more than a common cold? If so, why had I felt as sick as I had in a long, long time? Perhaps my body (and mind) had overreacted because it had been so long since I’d had any kind of respiratory complaint. Or as some might call it, ‘man flu’.

Two months on, and I’m none the wiser. In the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn’t matter, but it has left me wondering. How do you actually tell the difference between a cold, flu and COVID?

Cold, COVID or flu?

An article attributed to not-for-profit healthcare organisation Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) unpacks and answers this question. “The challenge with cold, flu and COVID-19 is that the symptoms for each are very similar.”

It pinpoints two key ways in which there may be some differentiation. The first of those is a closer look at the symptoms of each. “A cold can present with cough, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and fatigue. Flu can present with all of those symptoms plus headache, fever, chills, body aches and fatigue.” 

For COVID, HMH adds further, potentially more serious symptoms. “COVID-19 can present with cold and flu symptoms, plus new loss of taste or smell, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, or shortness of breath.”

A second way of possibly sorting the three conditions is how quickly the onset of symptoms occurs. 

“Cold symptoms tend to come on gradually, while flu symptoms come on suddenly – usually all at the same time where a person feels ‘wiped out’.” In the case of COVID, though, “symptoms start gradually between two and 14 days after exposure and can progress to more severe symptoms in some people”. HMH also adds a complicating factor: “Not everyone has symptoms.”

As instructive as that advice may be, it’s important to remember that it’s a guideline. It’s a summary of the majority of experiences. There will always be variations and exceptions. You might develop a sudden raft of symptoms and still have nothing more than a cold. 

Does it matter?

In one sense, identifying whether you had a cold, flu or COVID may not matter. If you’ve made a full recovery with no lasting side-effects and haven’t passed on the illness, all is well. However, if you are showing early symptoms, taking appropriate precautions can be well worthwhile, particularly if you live with potentially vulnerable people. 

With both the flu and COVID, what might produce mild symptoms in you can have a devastating effect on others.

If you develop symptoms, a little common sense can go a long way.

Have you had a respiratory illness this year? Were you able to determine if it was COVID or something else? Let us know via the comments section below.

Also read: Our ambulance ramping crisis

Disclaimer: This article contains general information about health issues and is not advice. For health advice, consult your medical practitioner.

Andrew Gigacz
Andrew Gigaczhttps://www.patreon.com/AndrewGigacz
Andrew has developed knowledge of the retirement landscape, including retirement income and government entitlements, as well as issues affecting older Australians moving into or living in retirement. He's an accomplished writer with a passion for health and human stories.

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