The death toll due to coronavirus outbreak has reached 1,665 in China – as on Sunday. China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Sunday said that as many as 9,419 coronavirus patients have been cured. But there still remained 57,416 confirmed cases (including 11,272 in serious condition) and 8,228 suspected cases, it added.
Cold or flu? How to tell the diference
Both cold and flu are viral infections. When you have these viral infections, you may experience symtoms like cough and/or sore throat, fatigue, chills and shivering, a runny nose or congestion and headaches. But cpompared to cold symptoms, flu symptoms may be more severe and last longer.
Flu symptoms usually include fever, extreme fatigue, more painful body aches and intense chills and shivering. Flu may also cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea but these conditions occur rarely with colds. On the other hand, a runny nose or nasal congestion is a common symptom of colds but are rarely associated with flu.
Cold symptoms often start with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, and perhaps a cough. Whereas in flu, all symptoms typically hit at the same time.
Difference between coronavirus and regular flu symptoms
Both seasonal flu viruses and 2019-nCoV are contagious viruses that cause respiratory illness. But some flu symptoms may not occur in coronavirus patients.
Most coronavirus patients show ordinary flu symptoms such as fever, coughing, shortness of breath, aching muscles and fatigue. But as the virus affects the lower respiratory tract, and people infected with the new virus are less likely to have a sore throat. Only a few patients are found suffering from sore throat and runny nose. Cases of coronavirus patients experiencing diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting are also very less.
People with flu usually recover in less than two weeks. In some cases, the flu causes complications, including pneumonia. However, doctors are still trying to understand the severity of 2019-nCoV.
As respiratory viruses cause similar symptoms, WHO says, it is difficult to distinguish different respiratory viruses based on symptoms alone.
There is a vaccine to protect against seasonal flu, but not for 2019-nCoV. But researchers are in the early stages of developing one for the latest virus too.
Published : February 17, 2020 5:16 pm | Updated:February 17, 2020 5:18 pm