With influenza and the usual cold-weather respiratory infections in circulation, 与COVID-19一起, it's not always easy to sort out what's ailing you if you do get sick.

我们和加州大学旧金山分校的急诊十大赌博平台排行榜谈过 Jahan Fahimi, m.s.D.是传染病专家 Peter Chin Hong, M.D., 流感和COVID-19之间的区别, 什么时候去做检查, 以及为什么你不应该尝试诊断自己.

Note: If you think you're experiencing a life-threatening or severe condition, call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency department.

Is it possible to tell the difference between flu symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms?

"I think it's tough because the flu and COVID-19 can have a variety of overlapping symptoms,法希米说. 包括发烧, 寒战和身体疼痛, upper respiratory symptoms like runny nose and sore throat, 咳嗽和肺炎等下呼吸道症状, 还有恶心等胃肠道症状, 呕吐和腹泻.

"While certain symptoms are slightly more associated with one virus than the other, 有足够多的重叠，有不确定性,法希米警告道. "So we wouldn't use the presence or absence of those symptoms to rule in or out either illness."

Typical flu symptoms are relatively consistent: fever, cough and muscle aches. 这些在COVID-19中也很常见, but COVID-19 symptoms vary more wildly than those of the flu, from no symptoms at all to deadly pneumonia and myriad cardiovascular and neurological issues, 说Chin-Hong.

“流感被设计成引起疾病, 所以一旦你得到它, 你会出现症状，躺在床上,秦宏说. “COVID取决于它降落在什么土壤上. Once you get COVID, you can have a wide range of consequences."

COVID-19有什么明显的症状吗?

One sign that does seem more specific to COVID-19 is the sudden loss of smell or taste. Initially underappreciated as a symptom, it's now thought to be common.

"That's one symptom that I would be particularly concerned about for COVID-19,法希米说. Another sign that can point to COVID-19 is low oxygen saturation, 哪些会导致呼吸短促, although it often goes unnoticed without a pulse oximetry measurement.

Chin-Hong noted that some symptoms in isolation – such as allergy-like symptoms, 像流鼻涕和流泪的眼睛, or diarrhea by itself – are less likely to be a sign of COVID-19, because they usually occur in conjunction with other symptoms of the disease.

Children under 10 are less likely to be infected with and show symptoms of COVID-19, 如果他们有类似流感的症状, 他们更容易得流感, 他补充说.

但这些都是一般化的. 由于COVID-19的可变性, the only way to know whether you're infected is to be tested.

“我不能给你一个神奇的公式，”秦宏说. "At the end of the day, it's really testing that's going to tell you."

如果你觉得不舒服该怎么办?

如果你感觉不舒服，有任何这些症状, it's best to self-quarantine at home (including avoiding contact with other household members) – and to get a COVID-19 test.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have to try to catch all these cases where we can,法希米说.

The benefit of knowing you have COVID-19 is that you can take precautions to prevent spreading the disease, contact tracers can alert people you've been around recently, and doctors can follow up in case your condition gets worse.

"We may be able to preemptively get someone into care a little bit sooner, 哪些因素会影响他们的病程,法希米说.

Flu tests are also widely available – they generally require a visit to the doctor's office or urgent care. When diagnosed early, the flu can be treated with the antiviral Tamiflu.

Even if you test negative for both COVID-19 and the flu, it's best to self-quarantine for three days after your symptoms disappear, 说Fahimi. There's a small chance that a negative test result will turn out to be wrong. 此外, 许多其他呼吸道疾病, 从普通感冒到群体性感冒, 在流感季节循环, 而传播它们也会传播不确定性.

“每个人都在关注流感和COVID-19, 但是还有很多其他的事情要做, 哪个表现得非常相似,秦宏说.

人们应该在什么时候立即就医?

If you experience shortness of breath, seek medical care right away, 说Chin-Hong. You may notice, for example, that it's harder to catch your breath walking up the stairs. That could be a sign that your oxygen levels are low, possibly due to COVID-19.

如果你年纪大了, 免疫功能不全的, or have other health conditions that make you more vulnerable to COVID-19, contact your doctor "sooner than later" if you have any symptoms, 说Chin-Hong.

COVID-19和流感的传播方式不同吗?

Both flu and COVID-19 are spread mainly by respiratory droplets launched through coughs and sneezes. 但COVID-19也可以以更隐蔽的方式传播, 说Chin-Hong – through smaller droplets ("aerosols") emitted through talking or singing that can linger in the air.

也, people with COVID-19 can transmit the virus up to two days before they show symptoms or even if they never develop symptoms. Many people with COVID-19 infections are "asymptomatic," meaning they have no symptoms. In contrast, 说Chin-Hong, most people with the flu are well aware that they have it.

“这就是COVID-19如此阴险的原因. People don't even know they are infected, and they can spread it," he said.

我现在可以采取什么行动呢?

避免“我有什么??" question this winter is to get the flu shot and keep wearing masks, 勤洗手，保持社交距离.

"We want to reduce the number of people getting these symptoms and having to make these decisions in the first place, 因为它们会很困难,秦宏说. “我的建议是:甚至不要在这个位置上."