By Andrea Hargraves 
Although they are very similar, there are specific details between the symptoms of influenza and Covid-19. At the end of the year, amid the epidemic – despite the sharp decline in the curves for deaths and injuries – cases of influenza are increasing in Brazil. The two diseases can be confusing, but there are differences between the symptoms.
In influenza, symptoms such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, body aches, malaise, and headache are common. A runny nose or stuffy nose and sore throat may appear, but they are less frequent.
Influenza can progress to severe cases and even death. According to illustrative materials from the Fernández Figueira Institute of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (IFF-Fiocruz), hospitalization and the probability of death, in general, correlate with risk groups. the flu It can also give way to secondary infections, such as those caused by bacteria.
In Covid-19, fever and dry cough are common symptoms. Sometimes fatigue, body aches, malaise and sore throat may appear. The disease has other symptoms in general that people with influenza do not feel, such as loss of smell and taste.
Covid-19 can also develop into more serious conditions, as evidenced by the sign of more than 600,000 people who have died. People in these severe or critical cases may have severe shortness of breath, severe pneumonia, and other respiratory problems that require ventilatory support or admission to intensive care units.
“Covid-19, especially now, is making a lot of complaints about loss of smell and taste. flu Usually leaves more prostration, bedridden, body aches, feeling congested. When we compare the two, the flu It gives a lot of symptoms. “We have to finish the diagnosis, just with a lab test,” says infectious scientist Anna Helena Germoglio.
To assess the patient’s state of health, tests should be performed. In the case of Covid-19, there are different modalities, such as antigen tests or in vitro PCR testing. In the case of influenza, there are also different types of tests. Therefore, the infection specialist highlights the importance for people, in the face of symptoms, to seek medical help for appropriate procedures to make a diagnosis.
