As we learn more about coronavirus, it becomes harder to distinguish it from other illnesses.

Now that flu season is here, there are sure to be some confusing questions: I have a fever, does that mean I'm infected with COVID? Is this stuffy nose caused by a cold, or is it the flu? Or allergies?

You can't tell which one of these ailments you have without having a diagnostic test or a medical exam, because so many symptoms are common to all of them.

Fortunately, in many cases, you don't need to know the root cause to know the best course of action. The key is to keep an eye out for changes in your or your family's health and respond quickly.

As a quick guide, we've put together this list of symptoms that you can compare side by side.

CORONAVIRUS vs. COLD vs. FLU vs. ALLERGIES

While the flu and illnesses caused by the coronavirus share many similarities, there are some differences that allow medical professionals to differentiate between the two.

The incubation period of the viruses, i.e., the time between infection and the onset of symptoms, is a key distinction. The flu usually comes on quickly, within one to three days on average. Coronavirus, on the other hand, can take anywhere from two to 14 days. Because of this, it's critical to isolate yourself immediately after being exposed so as not to spread the disease to others.

Coronaviruses typically take ten days to recover from, whereas the flu typically lasts seven to ten days, which can lead to several weeks or even months of gradual recovery.

The symptoms, on the other hand, can be more difficult to discern. Here are 12 symptoms easily confused with coronavirus, the flu, the cold, and allergies.

 References:

Clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) when COVID-19 disease is suspected. (2020).
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331446/WHO-2019-nCoV-clinical-2020.4-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Cold versus flu. (2019).
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/coldflu.htm
Common cold. (2020).
https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/community/for-patients/common-illnesses/colds.html
Common cold. (2020).
Making sense of symptoms (2022) https://ololrmc.com/blogs/making-sense-of-symptoms
Symptoms of coronavirus. (2020).
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html