Coronaviruses are a diverse family of viruses that can infect both humans and animals.
Several types of coronaviruses cause mild upper respiratory illness in humans. Others, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, can cause more severe respiratory illness.
In late 2019, a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China. This virus has since spread to many other countries throughout the world. An infection with SARS-CoV-2 causes a respiratory illness called COVID-19.
COVID-19 can have potentially serious complications, such as trouble breathing and pneumonia. Because of this, it’s important to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and how they differ from other conditions.
Continue reading to learn more about the symptoms of COVID-19, how they differ from other respiratory conditions, and what you should do if you think you’ve become ill.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the median incubation period for SARS-CoV-2 is 4 to 5 daysTrusted Source. However, it can range anywhere from 2 to 14 days.
Not everyone with a SARS-CoV-2 infection will feel unwell. It’s possible to have the virus and not develop symptoms. When symptoms are present, they’re typically mild and develop slowly.
The most common symptoms are:
-fever
-cough
-fatigue
-shortness of breath
Some people with COVID-19 may sometimes experience additional symptoms, such as:
-runny or stuffy nose
-sore throat
-headache
-muscle aches and pains
-diarrhea
-chills
-repeated shaking to go along with the chills
-loss of taste or smell
Some observations suggest that respiratory symptoms may worsen in the second week of illness. This appears to occur after around 8 daysTrusted Source.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1 in 5 peopleTrusted Source with COVID-19 become seriously ill. These individuals can develop severe pneumonia or respiratory failure. They may require oxygen or mechanical ventilation.
How do COVID-19 symptoms differ from cold symptoms?
Coronaviruses are actually one of the many types of viruses that can cause the common cold. In fact, it’s estimated that four types of human coronaviruses account for 10 to 30 percentTrusted Source of upper respiratory infections in adults.
Some symptoms of the common cold are:
runny or stuffy nose
sore throat
cough
body aches and pains
headache
How can you tell if you have a cold or COVID-19? Consider your symptoms. A sore throat and runny nose are typically the first signs of a coldTrusted Source. These symptoms are less common with COVID-19.
Additionally, fever isn’t as common in a cold.
How do COVID-19 symptoms differ from flu symptoms?
You may have heard COVID-19 being compared to the flu, a common seasonal respiratory illness. How can you tell the difference between the symptoms of these two infections?
First off, the symptoms of the flu often come on suddenlyTrusted Source, while COVID-19 symptoms appear to develop more gradually.
Common symptoms of the flu include:
-fever
-chills
-cough
-fatigue
-runny or stuffy nose
-sore throat
-headache
-body aches and pains
As you can see, there’s a lot of overlap in symptoms between COVID-19 and the flu. However, it’s important to note that many common symptoms of the flu are observed less often in cases of COVID-19.
The WHOTrusted Source also notes the following differences between the two:
The flu has a shorter incubation period than that of COVID-19.
Transmitting the virus before developing symptoms drives many influenza infections but doesn’t appear to play as much of a role for COVID-19.
The percentage of people who develop serious symptoms or complications appears higher for COVID-19 than for the flu.
COVID-19 appears to affect children with less frequency than the flu does.
There’s currently no vaccine or antivirals available for COVID-19. However, interventions are available for the flu.
