NATIONAL NEWS - Symptoms of a cold usually peak within two to three days and can include:
- Sneezing
- Stuffy nose
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Coughing
- Mucus dripping down your throat (post-nasal drip)
- Watery eyes
- Fever (although most people with colds do not have fever)
- Symptoms usually milder than flu symptoms
Symptoms of flu can include:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle or body aches
- Headaches and fatigue (tiredness)
Symptoms of Covid-19 may appear two to 14 days after exposure:
- Fever
- Cough - usually dry
- Fatigue
- Myalgia (sore muscles / body)
- Difficulty breathing
- Note that a sore throat and runny nose tend to be less common in Covid-19 than in flu or other upper respiratory tract infections.
- If you develop emergency warning signs for Covid-19, get medical attention immediately.
Emergency warning signs include:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- Confusion or inability to arise
- Bluish lips or face
Some other differences between ordinary influenza and Covid-19:
- Speed of transmission: Influenza has a shorter incubation period (the time from infection to the appearance of symptoms) than Covid-19.
- Severity: For Covid-19, data suggests that 15% of infections are severe and require oxygen, while 5% are critical infections, requiring ventilation. These percentages of severe and critical infection would be higher than in influenza infections.
- Mortality: The mortality of Covid-19 appears to be higher than for influenza.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Western Cape Department of Health
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Group Editors (publications and online platforms) is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
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