The Coronavirus pandemic has killed nearly 9,000 people across the globe. Moreover, it has instilled a sense of fear and panic, inducing health-related anxiety in thousands of people.
People are primarily worried because it is difficult to decipher at first if a person is suffering from the novel coronavirus or if it is just a common cold or flu. The symptoms of COVID-19 are not alarming. A person affected will initially run a slight temperature and cough at the most, which is rather common during season change.
Respiratory issues and acute pneumonia among other health risks associated with the highly-contagious disease start showing later – which is exactly what is worrying people. How would they know if they have been infected by the novel coronavirus or are just suffering from a bad cold when they are sick?
Now, while the flu and COVID-19 mimic each other’s symptoms, here is the basic difference in symptoms that will help you tell one from the other:
Experts note that, if a person is suffering from COVID-19, they will have a fever, fatigue, dry cough and shortness of breath.
A person who is sneezing, wheezing, and coughing and has a runny nose is most likely not infected by the deadly pathogen.
While the flu will have several symptoms similar to COVID-19, it usually never causes shortness of breath.If you’re still not convinced, here is what you can do:
Figure out if you have come in contact with anyone who has a history of travel to the affected countries or if you have returned from a trip abroad in the past weeks. If not, there is no reason to get anxious. What you can do is self-quarantine. Restrict yourself to the boundaries of your four walls for a period of 14 days, so that the virus does not spread to anyone else in case you are infected.
Next, you can visit a local doctor instead of rushing to a hospital to get tests done immediately. A medical practitioner would be able to suggest better if it is just panic or if you would need to get tests done for the novel coronavirus.
As a precautionary and preventive measure, one should be maintaining basic hygiene and washing their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before consuming food. They should not touch their face to ensure they do not contract the disease. Wearing face masks have been advised by experts only if one is sick.
Avoiding public spaces and large gatherings has been strongly advocated along with advisories against sharing of personal belongings.
Meanwhile, be careful not to fall for fake reports and common myths surrounding the novel coronavirus.
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