Is it a cold, the flu, or a COVID? I asked an infectious disease specialist how to tell the difference. – Twin Cities

As the cold and flu season is progressing, we asked a local doctor how to tell the difference between the common cold, flu and COVID-19.

“There are many differences, but there are also so many overlaps,” says Dr. Frank Rhame, an Allina Health infectious disease specialist. “Optimally, we cannot make a reliable decision without testing.

“If you have respiratory symptoms, take a test and quarantine until the test is negative,” says Rhame.

For testing, Minnesotans can stop by one of the state’s rapid saliva community testing sites or opt for the COVID-19 saliva test at home. Both options are provided free of charge to Minnesotan.Get information about testing at Health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites..

However, while waiting for the test results, Rhame explains some differences.

“In the case of the flu, the interval between the first symptoms and the feeling of being really terrible tends to be shorter,” he says. “Classic influenza goes from 0 to 60 in 6 hours. With COVID-19, the onset tends to be more gradual.”

The metaphor of hitting a truck can be accurate in the case of flu textbooks, says Rhame.

During this cold and flu season, getting a flu shot is especially important, says Rhame. Why? The more people who are vaccinated against the flu, the less severe it is or, as a result, the less stress on the state’s testing ability. This is already overwhelmed by the current surge in COVID-19. Testing requirements could increase further as new antivirals are expected to be approved soon, says Rhame (the drug must be given within 5 days of the onset of symptoms). ).

“If we could get rid of the flu even more, it would help the whole system,” says Rhame.

As always, influenza should never be underestimated.

“Influenza is very unpredictable,” says the doctor. “It kills. It kills 20,000 or 30,000 people a year. In most cases, elderly people, frail people, and people with weak immunity die, but young and healthy people can also be knocked out. increase.

“It’s not a simple cold.”

A stuffy nose is often a symptom of a simple cold. Of course, it doesn’t smell very much when you have a stuffy nose, but once you blow your nose, you may smell the chicken soup — at least a little. But with COVID?

“Loss of smell is a real marker of COVID,” says Rhame. “It’s very characteristic.”

Rhame also recommends that you continue to wear masks and maintain social distance (especially when the people around you aren’t, so we might be tired of it. increase).

“Sufficient vaccination cannot explain the current surge,” says Rhame. “We are a state with a relatively high immunization rate.”

Since asymptomatic spread is a COVID-19 problem, Rhame believes that one of the reasons for the surge is “stopping masking and distance measurements.”

The Minnesota Health Department reports the latest COVID-19 figures every week, but the influenza and respiratory disease activity reports are updated every Thursday.visit Health.state.mn.us/diseases/flu/stats..

It’s too early to know how this cold and flu season will be compared to last year when Ram said it was “substantially non-existent” (when distance education and mask obligations were in effect).

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) surged this fall in Minnesota. The latest weekly report shows that influenza A is currently the most common influenza strain.

State reports also look at what is happening nationwide.

“Influenza activity is low nationwide, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that” the number of influenza viruses detected by clinical and public health laboratories has increased in recent weeks. “

Search for the flu vaccine or other vaccines at the following zip code: Vaccines.gov..

Comparison of COVID, cold and flu symptoms mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19..