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Do You Have a Cold, the Flu or Covid-19? Experts Explain How to Tell the Difference

upstart writes:

Do you have a cold, the flu or Covid-19? Experts explain how to tell the difference:

Do you have a cold, the flu or Covid-19? Experts explain how to tell the difference

[...] Case rates of Covid-19 have been on the rise as the Omicron variant has spread, but hospitalization numbers appear to be staying relatively low. For vaccinated people, evidence suggests that infection with this variant seems less likely to be severe, epidemiologist and former Detroit Health Department executive director, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed said.

[...] "The important thing to remember is a vaccine is like giving a 'be on the lookout' call to your immune system. So its capacity to identify, target and destroy viruses is so much higher every time we take another boost of the vaccine," El-Sayed said. "It makes sense that the symptoms you would experience are milder if you have been vaccinated."

Coronavirus + Flu = 'Flurona': Should You be Worried About It?

upstart writes:

Coronavirus + Flu = 'Flurona': Should You Be Worried About It?:

It's been dubbed flurona: when a person is infected with the influenza virus and the Covid-19 coronavirus, either simultaneously or back-to-back. Cases are being reported around the globe, and experts say they are likely to grow as the more contagious omicron variant becomes more prevalent. The phenomenon, however, isn't exactly new. Reports of such "co-infections" go back to early 2020.

1. Why is this getting attention now?[...]

2. Should I be worried? [...]

3. What's the effect of getting two infections at once? [...]

In a meta-analysis of various studies last May, researchers from the University of Wisconsin found that 19% of people who tested positive for Covid simultaneously tested positive for another pathogen (a so-called "co-infection") -- be it viral, bacterial or fungal. They found that 24% of patients diagnosed with Covid afterward tested positive for a different pathogen (a so-called "superinfection"). For both categories, the situation was associated with "poor outcomes, including increased mortality," the authors found. The research underscores the need to test for ailments beyond just Covid so that people can be properly treated, the authors said.

4. Is the flu back in full force? [...]

5. Where is flurona being reported? [...]

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