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COVID-19 and the flu: What are the differences?

Published 10 Feb 2021 • By Clémence Arnaud

The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has raised many questions and anxieties. The similarity of symptoms between the flu and COVID-19 has long been a source of debate.

What are the differences between influenza viruses and COVID-19? How do you recognise the symptoms of the coronavirus? 

We explain it all in our article!

COVID-19 and the flu: What are the differences?

COVID and influenza, 2 distinct viruses:

The COVID-19 and influenza viruses are not from the same family. The former belongs to the coronavirus subfamily and the latter belongs to the influenza virus subfamily.

The influenza virus is a seasonal virus in temperate zones such as the UK, meaning that it comes back every year at the same period, winter. The subtlety in this virus is that it mutates at random every year, allowing it to bypass the immune defences that our bodies develop, and therefore infect people from one year to the next.

As for SARS-CoV-2, the recent appearance of variants shows that the virus is mutating to bypass immune defences and adapt to the human body to remain infectious.

Both these viruses are transmitted via the respiratory tract and respiratory droplets: by coughing, speaking too closely to others, sneezing etc. One can also be infected by touching certain objects such as door handles, which is why it is important to wash your hands regularly and to avoid touching your face. These two pathologies can cause respiratory symptoms, but a few differences between them still remain.

>>> You can find more information about COVID-19's status as a respiratory illness in our Health Magazine article here <<<

COVID and the flu, different symptoms:

In addition to a difference in symptoms, there is also a difference in the time it take for these symptoms to appear. For the flu, symptoms appear quite suddenly with a rather short incubation time of 1 to 3 days. In cases of coronavirus, the first symptoms may appear 1 to 12 days after infection and appear staggered in time. 

Let's take some time to review various symptoms and see if they are specific to influenza or COVID-19:

editor_meta_bo_img_961e48f762f6d0df498df5ef404153f7.png Cough: This is a common symptom for both illnesses. It is a dry cough and not a wet cough in both pathologies.

editor_meta_bo_img_985ad69fb74378d81e51b893af394621.png Muscle and joint pain: Muscle soreness and fatigue can be felt in both pathologies.

editor_meta_bo_img_3ea1e47c87363e8f88194485d5797dc5.png Fatigue: Fatigue is also a symptom that can be found in both pathologies.

editor_meta_bo_img_d87ecf38cdbd36d730de0a10a07f6bba.png Fever, headaches and chills: Fever and headache are common symptoms of influenza and coronavirus. Chills, however, are more common with the flu than with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

editor_meta_bo_img_6d2552fe31901a492aff88e4ab180762.png editor_meta_bo_img_2c66e9be5a9cf3c8584ebc01c316fad3.png Loss of taste and/or smell: This is a characteristic symptom of the coronavirus and occurs in 30 to 50% of infected adults, with a higher prevalence in women.

However, please remain cautious, as the symptoms described above are not always experienced by COVID-19 patients. It is estimated that approximately 30 to 60% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have very few or no symptom at all. They are mostly young people or children under the age of 12. These are also the patients who tend to infect fewer people.

The coronavirus also seems to have long-term consequences in some patients. Long-term follow-up and monitoring of patients with Long COVID will be vital.

Conclusion

Despite several similarities between these two pathologies, COVID-19 is far more deadly than the seasonal flu. It is important to know how to make a distinction between symptoms of the coronavirus and the seasonal flu to be able to isolate oneself and thus protect those around you. 


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Author: Clémence Arnaud, Digital Marketing Assistant

Clémence Arnaud is currently an intern in the digital marketing team. Her role is to lead and moderate the community so that users have the best possible experience on the platform. She is also be responsible for... >> Learn more

7 comments


avatar
Unregistered member
on 16/02/2021

@lesmal‍ 

Thank you Lesley

Take care and stay safe and healthy. Hope it wont be too long before your vaccine.


Roni46
on 20/02/2021

I feel really annoyed by the comments of the difference between flu and covid .

i will never have or had the flu jab ..over the years I have had variants one could say of flu or ? 

Especially when travelling by air and when the sars outbreak occurred I travelled back to uk and fell ill with severe plurisy and saw a doctor who never mentioned sars.

That was very prevalent at that time.

on retrospect I had all the symptoms...took a long while to recover...on return to Spain my doctor tested me with lung problems but diagnosed me and treated me for a thyroid condition . After that I was ok for a while.

i fell ill the end of 2006 and returned to England where I was not treated for thyroid any longer but was diagnosed with Rhuematoid and treated accordingly...I gained three stone in weight over a few months no change in diet and really in short refused to take anymore medication and took an alternative route .....as doctors in the uk are totally ignoring people with thyroid it's evident all around us .

As for my lungs on going problems and two years back I went down with a very strange illness that does fit the description of covid I shut down completely over a period of nearly two months ...took a long time to recover ...the doctors didn't know what was wrong so no help there I got over it.

i suffer with extreme fatigue and muscle pain and soreness constantly goes with the territory private blood test says Hashimotos...but NHS says high cholesterol high blood pressure etc etc...well  treat the thyroid then ...no it's totally ignored.

Now why would I take a jab for something that I feel I have already had the plurisy could have been sars for I was never tested....the illness I had could have been covid ...?

So I question everything now....why not test the patient first before a vaccination ....positive or negative?

it doesn't happen ?.....there is no logic here...if I read positive why would I vaccinate?

I have spoken to people around me of the older generation they all feel the same way .

over the years we have come through far worse ...the incompetence of the government in its application and control is totally senseless with no positive result overall.

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