COVID, flu or cold: symptoms and when to go to the médico

How to differentiate symptoms

Although they have similar symptoms, COVID-19, the flu and the cold have some differences:

	COVID-19	Flu	Cold
Duration of symptoms	Between 5 days to several weeks	7 to 10 days	2 to 4 days
Tiredness	Common	Common	Sometimes
Fever	Common, above 38º C	Common, high fever	Low fever or no fever
Cough	Common, usually dry and persistent	Common, usually dry	Moderate
Loss of smell/taste	Common, starts suddenly and often without having a stuffy nose	Rare	Sometimes usually associated with stuffy nose
Headache	Common	Common	Rare
Body pain	Common	Common	Common
Stuffy or runny nose	Rare	Sometimes	Common
Sore throat	Sometimes	Sometimes	Common
Sneezing	Absent	Absent	Common
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing	Common	Sometimes	Absent
Diarrhea	Sometimes, especially in children	Sometimes, especially in children	Absent
Nausea and vomiting	Sometimes, especially in children	Sometimes, especially in children	Absent

Regardless of the cause, hygiene measures should always be adopted to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, flu or cold viruses. Therefore, in case of symptoms, you should wear a mask, wash your hands and apply alcohol gel frequently, for example, in addition to avoiding close contact with other people.

When to go to the doctor

Most of COVID-19, flu or cold infections have mild symptoms that can be relieved at home without any specific treatment, just rest and drink plenty of fluids.

However, it is recommended to consult a general practitioner when symptoms are more intense, such as:

High fever, above 39ºC;
Intense and generalized muscle pain;
Feeling short of breath;
Chest pain.

If the doctor suspects COVID-19, the diagnosis needs to be confirmed using the RT-PCR test. Check out all the tests indicated for COVID-19.

How the treatment is done

Treatment may vary depending on the type of infection. In cases of flu and cold, treatment can be done at home with rest and hydration, but in cases of COVID-19 it is necessary to go to the doctor, as the initial symptoms can worsen in a short time, requiring medical advice.

Also, whenever you need to use medication to relieve a symptom, you should also go to the doctor.

In the most serious cases of COVID-19 and flu, hospital admission and use of more specific medicines indicated by the doctor may be necessary, such as remdesivir or baricitinib in COVID-19, and Tamiflu in the flu, for example. See all approved drugs for COVID-19.

What to do in case of COVID-19

If you have symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, have a positive test or are in contact with someone infected, please fill in your details to find out what to do:

option=b, @block-A1"' > I tested positive for COVID-19.
option=c, @block-A1"' > I have symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.
option=d, @block-A1"' > I've been in contact with positive case.
option=f, @block-F1"' > I've had COVID-19, but I still have symptoms.
option=e, @block-A1"' > I want to know more information.

country=en, @block-B1"}, {"condition":"option=c", "action":">country=en, @block-C1"}, {"condition":"option=d", "action":">country=en, @block-D2"}, {"condition":"option=e", "action":">country=en, @block-E1"}]' > Portugal
country=br, @block-B1"}, {"condition":"option=c", "action":">country=br, @block-C1"}, {"condition":"option=d", "action":">country=br, @block-D1"}, {"condition":"option=e", "action":">country=br, @block-E1"}]' >

Self-test.
Rapid antigen test.
RT-PCR.

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I have no symptoms.
I only have mild symptoms (fever, cough, tiredness, headache, sore throat, loss of taste…).
I have moderate symptoms (very intense cough, some shortness of breath, excessive tiredness…).
I'm really short of breath.

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Treatment for COVID-19 (mild or severe cases)

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No.
I did a self-test
I did a rapid antigen test.
I did RT-PCR test.

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COVID-19 rapid test: how it is done, where to do it and results

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RT-PCR for COVID-19: when to do it and results

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test=0"' > Negative
test=1"' > Positive

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It is possible that your symptoms are a sign of another infection, such as the flu or H3N2, for example. Still, we advise you to repeat the COVID-19 test within the next 3 days. Check out the differences between flu, COVID-19 and a cold.

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COVID, flu or cold: symptoms and when to go to the doctor

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risk=1, @block-D5"' > I live with the person who tested positive.
I have been in direct contact with the positive person (less than 2 meters) for more than 15 minutes and I am a he alth professional or work in an institution for the elderly.
risk=0"' > The person who tests positive does not live with me.

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Yes.
No.

Your contact is considered high risk. You do not need to isolate yourself, but you must maintain all personal protective measures for 14 days, be aware of the appearance of symptoms and perform a COVID test as soon as possible (rapid test or RT-PCR). If the result of the 1st test is negative, you must repeat the test between the 3rd and 5th day after contact with the positive person.

COVID-19 rapid test: how it is done, where to do it and results

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RT-PCR for COVID-19: when to do it and results

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Your contact is considered low risk. For this reason, you don't need to do isolation, or perform COVID test. However, you must maintain all personal protective measures (such as wearing a mask and avoiding unnecessary travel) and be aware of the appearance of symptoms in the next 14 days.