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Difference between COVID-19 and Influenza

The novel coronavirus only came into existence a year ago. There is still a lot of confusion surrounding the disease, given its likeliness to other respiratory diseases like the flu.

Insufficient test results have given rise to innumerable rumours surrounding the disease, which makes understanding the difference between COVID-19 and influenza harder by the day.

We tried compiling all available data that can help you distinguish between the two and get the correct treatment.

Have a look at the brief overview to help yourself in such trying times.

Team Digit

Which virus families cause COVID-19 and influenza?

Although both these communicable diseases have many common symptoms and are spread similarly, their causative agents are completely different. Nevertheless, you can observe the same in the following table.

Details of the causative agent	COVID-19	Influenza
Virus family	Coronaviridae	Orthomyxoviridae
Virus type	SARS-CoV-2	Human influenza A and B

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus, and yet much is unknown about it. The total number of coronavirus strains remain unknown at present. On the other hand, one of the flu virus strains, influenza A, already has 131 sub-strains detected to date. This is made possible due to the numerous subtypes of its NA and HA surface proteins which leads to a large number of combinations.

Since both COVID-19 and influenza are respiratory diseases caused by viruses, they are transmitted in a somewhat identical manner.

Read more about Coronavirus:

COVID-19 & influenza – Transmission

Now, there are plenty of similarities when it comes to the way each of these diseases spreads. Both are highly contagious and can be transmitted from person to person contact. However, there have been some recent significant transmission trends governing the difference between coronavirus and influenza.

Here, we present the similarities and contrast between the two in the following table.

Transmission factors	COVID-19	Influenza
Mode of transmission	Droplet-borne through talking, coughing, and sneezing, Touching your face after touching a contaminated surface	Droplet-borne through talking, coughing, and sneezing, Touching your face after touching a contaminated surface
Maximum transmissible distance	6 feet	6 feet
Pre-symptomatic transmission	24-48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms	Within 3-5 days of infection
Incubation period	2-5 days, some patients can also remain asymptomatic for up to 14 days	1-3 days
Serial interval (the period between 2 successive cases)	5-6 days	3 days
Reproductive number	5.7	0.9-2.1
Commonly affected age groups	Adults (60+ years), individuals with underlying health conditions, individuals aged below 20 years are mostly asymptomatic carriers	Children (0-17 years), pregnant women, individuals with weak immunity or pre-existing ailments, the elderly
Attack rate	12.4% in adults aged 60+ years among households contacts	9.3% in children, 8.9% in adults aged 18-64 years, 3.9% in adults ages 65+ years
Mortality rate	First observed to be 3.4%, then decreased to 1.0%-0.9%	Less than 0.1%
Pandemic probability	SARS-CoV-2 has already caused a pandemic since it is new to our immune systems and has no existing treatment	Evolving zoonotic subtypes of influenza strains can lead to a new pandemic

Now that you know the subtle differences between the transmission processes of the novel coronavirus and influenza, it is time to look at the differences in signs and symptoms.

How to understand if your symptoms are of COVID-19 or influenza?

The acute similarity between symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza can often make it difficult for individuals to differentiate one from the other in the early stages. Unfortunately, this also reinforces the fact that there is no sure way to understand the difference between COVID-19 and influenza except medical diagnosis. However, here is a chart with a brief overview of the various possible symptoms and their severity in each disease.

Symptoms	COVID-19	Influenza
Cough	Severe, dry, and persistent coughs that can cause shortness of breath	Mild, dry coughs
Fever	For 3-4 days	2-7 days
Breathing problem	Very prominent, can be severe	Mildly possible
Sore throat	Very prominent	Possible
Fatigue and weakness	Prominent gradually	Prominent from the beginning
Repeated shaking with chills	Possible	Rare
Muscle aches	Possible	Prominent, can be severe
Runny nose or blocked nasal passage	Common	Possible
Headache	Common	Prominent
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea	Common	Common
Brain fog	Possible	Rare
Unique symptoms	Sudden change in or lack of smell and taste, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) in children	None
Complications	Fatal Pneumonia, Microvascular thrombosis of the toes, Blood clots in arteries and veins of lungs, heart, or brain	Curable pneumonia

In addition to the complications mentioned above, there are certain common severities observed in both diseases. These are:

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
Cardiac arrest and stroke
Secondary bacterial infections
Sepsis
Aggravation of chronic medical conditions
Multi-organ failure

These complications can be further accelerated in patients with pre-existing medical conditions and often lead to fatalities, showing little to no response to treatment. Early diagnosis and understanding the difference between COVID and influenza can help greatly. Then, depending on your diagnosis, seek available treatment options from healthcare professionals.

Now that you know the answer to what is the difference between flu and Covid, let’s take a look at these conditions’ treatments.

What are the different treatment options available for COVID-19 and influenza?

Although influenza viruses have been around for a long while and SARS-CoV-2 is a brand new virus, both are constantly evolving as new strains, and sub-strains are detected.

However, the major difference between the cure for COVID-19 and influenza is that the latter can be treated with already available FDA-approved medications and vaccines.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the novel coronavirus as scientists and doctors continue to treat critical patients with trial drugs.

Here are all the modes of treatment available for both diseases to date.

Treatment options	COVID-19	Influenza
Antiviral drugs	Phase 3 trial drug , 1) Remdesivir	FDA-approved drugs Baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza) 1) Zanamivir (Relenza), 2) Peramivir (Rapivab), 3) Oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu)
Vaccines	Phase 3 trial vaccines - 1) Covishield, 2) Covaxin, 3) Pfizer, 4) Moderna, 5) Sputnik V	FDA-approved vaccines - 1) Inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV), 2) Live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV)
Others	Convalescent plasma therapy	None

Besides the mentioned treatment options, supportive care is a must for both COVID-19 and influenza. This includes:

Drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated
Getting enough rest
Taking additional medications for symptomatic treatment, as prescribed by professionals
Taking prescribed dietary supplements comprising essential nutrients
Mechanical ventilation for severely affected individuals

You know what they say, right? Prevention is better than cure.

Given the current scenario where the second wave of COVID-19 has hit hard amidst the flu season in India, it is best to practice the said precautionary measures. These include wearing a mask, observing physical distancing, and washing/sanitising your hands frequently. Despite the difference between COVID-19 and influenza, these little preventive measures can help protect you from both.

Is it important to get the flu shot during the ongoing pandemic?

Flu shots can keep people safe from being afflicted with influenza. This, in turn, will keep medical resources free for those suffering from Covid-19. However, if you are already suffering from Covid-19, medical practitioners recommend waiting for at least ten days from the day when you started showing symptoms. After these 10 days, you can seek the flu shot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you show symptoms for both influenza and COVID-19 simultaneously?

Yes, it is possible to undergo both of these infections at once.

Does the flu vaccine protect me from catching the novel coronavirus?

No, the flu vaccine cannot prevent you from getting infected with COVID-19 since the two are caused by completely different viruses.

Why is Covid-19 considered more dangerous than an influenza affliction?

According to researchers, the likelihood of death from Covid-19 is more than triple than that from an influenza infection. The study also discovered that Covid-19 infection also carries almost a 1.5 times increased chances of ICU admission when compared to influenza.

Can I develop COVID-19 from influenza?

Influenza and COVID-19 are caused by two different kinds of viruses. Neither can the flu virus develop into the coronavirus, nor can vice versa happen. However, instances of coinfection have been reported, where an individual is affected with more than one respiratory virus.

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