COVID-19- Is it Worse Than The Flu?

COVID-19 is a novel virus, one which has never been encountered before and is

caused by a member of the coronavirus family. Like other coronaviruses, it has been

transferred to humans from animals. The seasonal flu virus and COVID-19 are both

contagious viruses that cause respiratory illness and their first symptoms are often very

similar. They can cause fever, fatigue, sore throat, breathlessness and in both cases,

symptoms can vary from mild to fatal. It is the speed of transmission which makes

Covid-19 different from the flu.

COVID-19 may seem to have both similarities and differences with the common flu and

distinguishing between the two isn’t always easy. A prominent difference between them

is that COVID-19 spreads more easily than the flu. The incubation time from exposure

to first symptoms for the flu, 1 to 4 days, is short compared with 1 to 14 days for

COVID-19. Symptoms last longer for COVID-19, from 7 to 21 days, compared to a week

or two for the flu.

Another predominant factor for COVID-19 causing more severe disease than seasonal

flu is its novelty and uniqueness. Many people globally have built up immunity to

seasonal flu strains and several antiviral medicines and flu vaccines are available. In

contrast COVID-19 is a new virus to which no one has immunity and there are currently

no licensed vaccines or drugs for it.

The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly. Not only does it have the potential to infect

many more people than the seasonal flu, it also appears to kill a greater percentage of

those infected. This means COVID-19 with no vaccine to combat it, is something of a

wild card in terms of how far it will spread and how many deaths it will cause.The

mortality rate of COVID-19 is estimated to be 10 times higher than influenza. Thus,

Covid-19 is more contagious, more deadly than a flu and with the human race having no

prior exposure to it, everyone is vulnerable.

Reference:

● https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/

● https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/coronavirus-vs-flu

● https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/

● https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/17/what-is-

coronavirus-what-are-its-symptoms-and-when-should-i-call-a-doctor