Infectious disease experts warn of a heightened cold and flu season coming this winter. Sniffles, sore throats, and other symptoms may be signs of a cold, the flu, RSV or even COVID-19. While many symptoms overlap, a few distinctive signs can help you tell them apart.
According to AARP, losing your sense of taste and smell may signal COVID-19. While it isn’t as common a symptom with the current BA.5 variant of the coronavirus that is dominant in the U.S., if you experience this loss without having a runny or stuffy nose, get tested. Another symptom that’s more typical with COVID-19 is diarrhea. Diarrhea is not a common sign of the flu in adults, although it is in children.
Dr. Kenneth Koncilja, a geriatrician at Cleveland Clinic says that disorientation is often present in older adults infected with the BA.4 or BA.5 variants of the COVID-19 virus.
“I’ve seen more of my older adults present with symptoms of confusion and test positive for COVID-19, where you might think it’s a urinary tract infection,” he told AARP.
Sneezing is more typically caused by a cold rather than the flu or COVID-19, says the National Institutes of Health. And if you have a cold, you are less likely to experience body aches and fever that often accompany COVID-19 or the flu.
Another virus that causes cold-like symptoms is respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say this pathogen is circulating widely and early this season. Symptoms in adults could be runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue, and fever. More severe cases could lead to pneumonia and hospitalization.
According to CBS News, RSV symptoms in children are similar to a cold, but doctors warn that parents should watch for signs of respiratory distress. If their child’s nostrils are flaring while breathing, or if their skin is pulling towards their ribs, seek medical help. Already hospitals in 33 states are seeing a dramatic rise in RSV patients and cases have more than doubled in 25 states, putting a strain on hospitals with some facilities so overwhelmed they are running out of beds.
Most people recover from RSV within a week or two, but older adults and those who are immunocompromised are more susceptible to serious illness. There is no specific treatment or vaccine for RSV, so prevention is still the best way to avoid illness.
Experts say one of the best ways to identify your illness is by the process of elimination. Keep an at-home test on hand to determine if you have COVID-19. Most private insurance companies cover the cost of these tests, says AARP, and Medicare beneficiaries can receive up to eight at-home tests per month.
If your COVID-19 test comes back negative, and you still feel ill, you can have your healthcare professional test for the flu. Prescription antiviral treatments taken early on can help alleviate the symptoms.
The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 or the flu is to get your vaccines. You can get both shots at the same time, and while they won’t guarantee you are not infected, they should blunt the severity of symptoms. As far as avoiding colds, your best bet is to wash your hands often and stay away from people who are ill, says the Mayo Clinic. Keep your distance between yourself and others when you are indoors at public places. Disinfect surfaces that are touched frequently. These measures will also help you avoid other respiratory illnesses this season.