How to Tell If You Have the Flu, Coronavirus, or Something Else
This symptom chart will help you determine which virus ails you
Editor’s Note: This article is no longer updated and much has been learned about Covid-19 symptoms. For the latest on the disease, visit Elemental’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus outbreak here.
The first sign of a scratchy throat is scientifically known to be accompanied by an “uh-oh” sensation, followed by the ironic hope that it’s “just a cold,” because otherwise it could be the onset of a disabling flu, the looming coronavirus, or some other infectious disease affecting the upper airways.
“Because colds and flu share many symptoms, it can be difficult (or even impossible) to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But in fact, the CDC’s own lists of symptoms for the two diseases draw notable distinctions in typical cases.
Symptoms of the new coronavirus, Covid-19, can indeed be difficult to distinguish from flu symptoms, but in recent weeks, infectious-disease experts have gotten a clearer picture of telltale signs, particularly fever early on, and which symptoms are rare in most cases but may show up when it becomes most serious.
