GREENSBORO, N.C. — What do you have? Is it the flu, allergies, a cold or COVID? Besides making you feel terrible, which they can all do, how do you know what you've got?
"Just having a running nose or a sore throat can be symptoms of any common cold virus, and of flu, and of SARS COV-2,” said Dr. Anne Liu, Stanford Infectious Diseases Physician.
I know, not exactly what you wanted to hear. So here are a few indicators to help you figure it out:
Allergies -- usually come with an itchy nose and itchy, watery eyes
Colds -- you can have an itchy nose and eyes along with a stuffy nose.
Flu -- has the fever, the aches, the fatigue, it’s an overall feeling of yuck
COVID -- has all the flu signs and may have a loss of taste and smell.
Cone Health's Dr. Laura Murry said the flu normally starts suddenly which could be a clue. When you have a cold or allergies, symptoms seem to creep up slowly. Dr. Laura Murray COVID-19 even takes longer to feel sick after exposure.
Unfortunately, they can all really resemble one another. So, what should you do if you really want to know?
“There are some features that might be more indicative of one versus the other but really if you have any kind of cold-type symptoms, the only way you know if it's COVID or not is if you get tested,” said Liu.
The doctor tells us whether it's COVID, the flu, or the common cold, make sure you're tracking your symptoms and how long you've had them.
Any time you are having trouble doing usual activities it's a marked change and Dr. Murry said that's a big warning sign and it's time to contact your doctor or go to the emergency room.