Health Tips

In the current pandemic, Covid-19 may be mistaken for influenza as they have similar symptoms.

What are the similarities?

Both viruses are transmitted by contact, droplets and fomites. Thus, the same health measures such as hand hygiene and good respiratory etiquette including coughing into your elbow or a tissue, then throwing the tissue immediately, are important steps to prevent infection.

What are the differences?

Flu is caused by influenza virus, whereas Covid-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), among those who are affected with Covid-19, around 15% of the cases are severe and 5% are critical. The chance of severe and critical infection is higher in Covid-19 than that of flu. 

So, how can I tell if I have Covid-19 or flu? Read the illustration below to understand better.

Prevention

To reduce the risk of infection from the viruses that cause Covid-19 and flu, one can take the following standard precautions:

References:

1. New coronavirus vs. flu | Medical News Today
2. Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Flu: Similarities and Differences | Verywell Health
3. COVID-19, cold, allergies and the flu: What are the differences? | Mayo Clinic
4. Tips to prevent coronavirus transmission | Medical New Today

Image credit:

1. https://i.insider.com/5e691d7184159f6a2a59e0c2?width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=webp
2. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/images/symptoms/header_multicolor.png
3. https://www.verywellhealth.com/thmb/dUqyKHHvwh_dTOG0ijezERNQF04=/1500x1000/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/coronavirus-flu-differences-4798752-v1-46194f3009ac4f3d80b4078fd180bbb7.png
4. https://i0.wp.com/post.medicalnewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/04/New-Coronavirus-vs.-flu-scaled.jpg?w=1155&h=5376
5. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ET99S8pXYAUj9vD.jpg:large

Written by

Dr Amirah Ekhsan