Corona virus vs Flu - Healthsoul

The risk of confusion of COVID-19 with flu and other atypical pneumonia is high due to a similar type of symptoms related to respiratory illnesses. At the initial phase of the coronavirus outbreak news, people might think that the treatment like the flu virus helps to control the coronavirus outbreak. But unfortunately, the strain of the coronavirus differs from the flu virus. Thus, the recent outbreak cannot easily controllable.

Following are certain distinct difference between flu and coronavirus:

Cause

The causative organism of coronavirus (COVID 19) is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2. Whereas, different strains of influenza viruses responsible for flu infection.

Symptoms and complications

Although the differentiation between coronavirus infection and flu based upon symptoms alone is very difficult, as both of these viral infections have a similar type of symptoms related to respiratory illness.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms of flu include fever, fatigue, cough, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, muscle aches, and headaches. Along with these, children may occasionally complain of diarrhea and vomiting. The onset of these symptoms occurs suddenly after the incubation period of two to five days.

Most of the cases, flu-infected patients have recovered within two weeks. However, some people, usually with compromised immune systems can face complications like pneumonia. Recent CDC data reported that only 1% of flu affected people have been hospitalized this year.

Research on COVID-19 is ongoing for compiling the data to understand how the disease works. The Lancet published research article reported that the common symptoms of COVID-19 infection, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breathing. Along with these, approximately 5% of infected patients have reported sore throat and runny nose, and only 1-2% of case reports have found nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. [5] The symptoms of coronavirus infection bit more gradually comes in comparison with Flu. The incubation period of coronavirus varies from two to 14 days.

Transmission

The mode of transmission of both SARS-CoV-2and flu infection is similar, as both the virus transmitted through the airborne route. But experts assume that COVID-19 viral strain containing droplets can remain in the air and spread the disease even without close contact with the ill person.

Treatment

Antiviral Medications

Antiviral medications have not been tested to check the efficacy of the medication against the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2. Whereas, antiviral medications can reduce the severity of the flu symptoms and duration of the illness. [2]

Immunization

Yet now no immunization has discovered for SARS-CoV-2 infection, though the medical researchers are working to invent a vaccine for coronavirus.

The flu vaccine is available, which effectively prevents some most dangerous types of flu and able to reduce the severity of the condition. [2]

Worldwide approximately 90,279 cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection has identified till 2nd March 2020. Among this, 100 coronaviruses (COVID-19) cases in the U.S. A. Whereas, an estimated 1 billion flu cases worldwide identified. In the USA, an estimated flu incidence rate varies from 9.3 million to 45 million per year.

Worldwide the estimated death of coronavirus infection is approximately 3,085 and 6 deaths occur in the USA till 2nd March 2020. The number of deaths due to flu varies from 291,000 to 646,000 worldwide; whereas in the USA 12,000 to 61,000 deaths occur due to flu attacks per year. [2]

Epidemiological Difference and Similarities Between Coronavirus and Flu

More than a millennium ago, pandemic influenza had begun with viruses of wild waterfowl and that host-switch to humans, then that led to human-to-human transmission. Thereby a bird virus became a human virus. The course of emergence in the case of Coronavirus is different from a similar principle.

Enzootic bat viruses are the apparent origin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, (MERS), and the novel variety of coronavirus (COVID-19). The host-switching occurred by transmission from bats to infected animals and then to humans Similar type avian epizootics transmission also occurred in poultry-adapted influenza viruses such as H5N1 and H7N9.

There are alarming similarities between these two respiratory disease emergences -1918 flu and Covid-19, which are as follows:

Both of these conditions have an association with the respiratory spread. In both of these conditions, presymptomatic or asymptomatic infected people transmit the infection to others.
Both the conditions silently spread around the globe with mostly mild cases, but with high fatality risk. Almost 0.5 to 1% or higher mortality rate.

Although vaccination and antiviral drugs for influenza viruses have discovered, yet now medical science unable to prevent completely influenza spread at the community level. Most of the influenza cases are asymptomatic, undiagnosed, or transmitted before the onset of symptoms. Clinical researchers have in dilemma – can they do better control with the SARS-CoV-2 strain of coronavirus, as researchers presume that this viral strain has a longer incubation period and serial generation time. Researchers have concluded that increasing the human population, human movement, crowding, altered environmental factors, complexity in the ecosystem due to human activities and creations are responsible for global pandemics.

References

	Flu	COVID-19
Cause	Influenza virus	Novel Coronavirus
Symptoms	Cough, shortness of breath, fever, runny nose, muscle aches,	Cough, shortness of breath, fever
Symptom Onset	Sudden	Gradual
Immunization	Flu vaccine	In research
Medications	Antivirals like Tamiflu	None available
Cases in USA
Mortality rate