What do I have? COVID or RSV or the Flu?
So, you may be here as you are wondering whether it's COVID or RSV or the Flu you have, how to tell? Well, while it may appear as if we live in scary times, with a pandemic that is still recent in our minds and still affecting our day-to-day lives, we also live in times where we have the technology and science to combat these effects.
As we enter into what is the Flu season and should have the new title, "the COVID, RSV, and Flu season," we no longer have to enter into this season and play a game of sickness roulette to see if we catch something. We have better information on the symptoms with preventative measures, diagnostic testing, and the more advanced molecular testing. While we may have simply just gotten ourselves sick and would say it's a cold if it ended within a week or the flu if it lasted longer, we can test and vaccinate easier.
The symptoms of each winter illness; whether it's COVID or RSV or the Flu
COVID
The root cause of COVID-19 or coronavirus is from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This became one of the most contagious viruses due to its incubation period. There were some cases where symptoms would appear a week or two after exposure. The other issue is that there are breakthrough cases where those who receive vaccinations could still get COVID, but with little to no symptoms, and simply be a carrier. That's what helped propel it so quickly globally.
Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, body aches, sore throat and cough, the infamous loss of taste and/or smell, fever and chills, and even a loss of appetite combined with diarrhea. In addition, you will typically experience fever and chills.
RSV
Known as the Respiratory syncytial virus, this is similar to what a common cold would look like. You'll most likely get a runny nose, sneezing, cough, trouble breathing, and possibly start wheezing. The possibility of a low-grade fever as well as a decrease in appetite.
This single-strand RNA virus typically causes severe infections in infants and young children but has found its way into adults more commonly, especially the elderly. Severe infections can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia as well. The incubation period here is faster, between two to eight days
The Flu
Influenza has been our most common enemy, which we seem to battle yearly with fresh vaccines and warnings, and us gaining more awareness. It has the fastest incubation period; you can see symptoms as fast as a day and typically within a few days.
You will see similar symptoms, such as pain and aches in the muscles, coughing, congestion, sneezing, and a runny nose. Not to mention, you can also get dehydrated, lose your appetite, get chills or even sweat it out. The flu will also produce a high fever which helps with diagnostic testing.
The importance of testing with COVID or RSV or the Flu
This is one of those things that we should be testing for consistently. We may say to ourselves we're already sick and just stay home, drink fluids, and rest, but testing helps everyone because it assists with detecting exactly what type of illness you have, whether it's COVID, RSV, or the Flu. It can help those in the medical fields see if it's just the season with projected figures or if there are concentrated outbreaks of a specific type of disease or variant of the disease that looks as if it's about to cause major chaos.
For this, we, of course, have diagnostic testing, whereas in the past if we felt ill we would get a doctor's note. Not only that, but we have also shifted to molecular testing, which helps to provide accurate results every time. Often, this testing is at affordable or subsidized pricing and only helps to confirm which type of illness you have so you can manage it accordingly.