Infection and Microbiology Specialist Songül Özer answers this frequently asked question due to Covid -19 as follows: "Flu, cold and covid-19 are 3 different diseases that are confused with each other and actually have very similar symptoms. The flu is a viral infection that we all have very often. It starts with a runny nose. It does not cause high fever. There is usually some fatigue and weakness and you will recover in a few days, at most a week.
You usually don't even need to take any medication. Influenza, the seasonal flu caused by known influenza viruses, is a bit more severe. You will still have a high fever and respiratory distress. It is characterized by joint pains and muscle aches. Another name for it is 'rag disease'. It is generally known that it does not go down to the lungs, but stays in the upper respiratory tract. Since it is not in the lung, it does not cause pneumonia. There may be a dry cough, but the most important thing is that there is a really high fever and the patient is bedridden.
The onset of Covid infection starts with the same cold and flu symptoms. In other words, it starts with a dry cough, high fever, sore throat, but the difference of Covid-19 from the others is that it goes down to the lungs in a very short time. In other words, it causes sputum in the lungs, and most importantly, it causes pneumonia in some patients. Bilateral, that is, it causes pneumonia that affects both of our lungs in a short time and requires hospitalization. This is the most important difference. In other words, not every runny nose, every high fever, every coughing and sneezing is Covid-19. There are also cold and flu diseases. We physicians also make the differential diagnosis of this. What you should do when you have such complaints is to apply to a health institution."