Incubation period. Flu symptoms appear quickly — one to five days after infection. After contracting the coronavirus, it can take up to two weeks before any discomfort occurs.
Body aches. Covid often begins with a pulling, aching, twisting sensation in the joints, back, neck, and limb muscles. With the flu, all of this may be present, but much less pronounced.
Cough, sore throat. The covid cough is special: it is barking, it grows over time, turning into dry and exhausting, it can last for hours. Coughing up does not bring relief. The throat can begin to ache precisely because of the constant tension with an uncontrollable cough. With acute respiratory infections and flu, there may be no cough at all, or it may not be too intense, with little sputum secretion, patients complain of perspiration and sore throat.
Sneezing and runny nose. For coronavirus, nasal discharge and sneezing are not at all typical. With flu, a common occurrence: a person sneezes a lot, sputum from the nasal passages pours in streams, the nasopharynx swells.
Headache. With covid, migraine-type headaches are noted, pressing and encircling the skull, they are paroxysmal in nature. Often nausea joins them. Headache drugs are not relieved. With the flu, the pain is localized mainly behind the eyes, it hurts in the front part.
Loss of smell and taste. With coronavirus – a very common symptom (observed in about 80% of patients), a person loses sensitivity to odors for two weeks or even more. There are cases when the sense of smell was gradually restored in a period of up to six months. With the flu, this is not the case.
Labored breathing. The “trademark” sign of the coronavirus is increasing difficulty in breathing, turning into shortness of breath and even attacks of suffocation. There may be pain under the shoulder blades. Here urgent help from specialists and an oxygen cylinder are already needed. Breathing problems are often accompanied by a feeling of tightness and pressing chest pain.
Body temperature. Another characteristic difference between the coronavirus and influenza and acute respiratory infections: the “crown” takes a long time to harness, but it manifests itself sharply, immediately. The body temperature suddenly rises to 38-39 degrees Celsius. Or does not rise at all. With the flu, degrees creep up gradually and to high numbers.
Pale skin. It is not typical for colds and flu, but almost always accompanies the “crown”.
– I would note another important symptom in covid – sweating, – said Natalya Karaseva. “It can be pouring sweat at night. With the flu, the phenomenon is infrequent.