COVID-19 vs. flu symptoms: How can you tell the difference?

The flu and COVID-19 are both highly contagious respiratory illnesses, but they’re caused by different viruses.

The flu is caused by influenza viruses – usually Influenza A or Influenza B viruses – which we experience during our annual flu season.

There are a lot of influenza viruses out there – and flu vaccines have been around since the mid-1940s. Each year, specific flu vaccines are recommended to fight the strains of influenza that research indicates will be the most common that season. So, when you make a flu shot appointment, you’ll get the vaccine chosen for the most recent flu season.

COVID-19 is caused by a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Our bodies had never experienced this type of virus before the beginning of the pandemic – which means our bodies hadn’t had a chance to build antibodies to fight it – and we didn’t have vaccines to help protect us. But now, COVID-19 vaccines are readily available for most people, including kids and teens.

It's that fall season again, with the chance that we super seniors might come down with either the flu or an old or even new variant of Covid-19.  This page is dedicated to offering some hints on what symptoms to watch for and how the flu symptoms compare with those of Covid-19.  In either case, it is vital that you protect yourself by making an appointment with your healthcare provider and get the shots necessary to protect yourself from both of these seasonal respitory ailments.  Our goal is your continued good health, so that someday soon we can see you again.

Comparing COVID-19 and flu symptoms