Flu, cold, or Corona?

do i catch a cold? is it pollen again or has the corona virus even caught me? If something is scratching your throat or your nose is itchy, it’s not clear at first what’s behind it. Because: The symptoms of a cold, flu, hay fever or corona are quite similar. Especially at the beginning of an infection.

So how do you know what you have? Overview.

Typical flu symptoms:

• Often: fever, tiredness, headache and body aches, dry cough
• Once in a while: runny nose, diarrhea (in children), sore throat
• Never: shortness of breath

Typical symptoms of coronavirus:

• Often: fever, dry cough
• Once in a while: Fatigue, headache and body aches, sore throat, shortness of breath
• Rare: runny nose, diarrhea

Unlike the corona virus and flu, a cold or hay fever is usually a little milder. First of all, a stuffy nose or constant sneezing indicates an infection.

Typical symptoms of the common cold:

• Often: Runny nose, sore throat and body aches, sneezing
• Once in a while: fever, fatigue, headache
• Never: taste disturbance, diarrhea, shortness of breath

Typical symptoms of hay fever:

• Often: stuffy nose, sneezing, itchy burning eyes
• Once in a while: cough, tiredness
• Never: Diarrhea, body aches, headaches

There are also differences between individual diseases when it comes to transmission. For example, the transmission rate of the coronavirus is much higher than the flu. Also, hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen that only affects certain people and usually occurs between spring and autumn.

The common cold is extremely common and is mostly caused by exposure to cold – hence the name. This is why most people catch colds mostly in winter. Relaxation is the order of the day only as spring approaches. Warmer weather not only helps with the common cold, but often reduces the survival time of viruses. So you can expect to get sick less in summer than in other seasons.

There is only one thing that helps to definitively rule out whether it’s Corona or not: test it! Both by self-test at home and by PCR testing at the doctor or at a testing station. It helps to wash your hands thoroughly and keep your distance to avoid getting sick in the first place. And if you get caught, cough and sneeze into the inside of your arm to protect others. (obf)