Coronavirus vs flu – Everything you need to know

Headlines are burning last days trying to cover all of the news regarding the coronavirus outbreak. The world is encountering a pandemic and we all heard many stories of coronavirus flu being presented as somewhat similar to an ordinary flu.

We will now compare the coronavirus and the flu, by covering both, their similarities and differences.

Similarities: Coronavirus vs flu

Let’s start by saying that measures that can prevent the coronavirus infection rate are similar to those of the flu. Therefore, prevention measures for both are:

• Limiting contact with other people and staying home when you are sick
• Avoiding to shake hands
• Washing your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water
• Wearing a face mask when you get sick
• Avoiding to touch your face and sneezing into the crook of your elbow

Symptoms can be mild or severe, even fatal for both and they are:

• Both cause fever, body and muscle fatigue, and cough
• Can cause pneumonia

Transmission for both is by:

• Person to person contact
• Tiny droplets, from someone who is infected to someone else, by sneezing and coughing
• An infected person for several days, even before their symptoms
• The surfaces – as both can live on them and make them suitable for further transmission

Treatment:

• Antibiotics have no use to either of viruses
• Both are treated by reducing symptoms, like lowering fever
• Severe cases might need hospitalization and mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen

The main differences of

One virus, called the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is causing the coronavirus where many different types of influenza viruses A (along with its sub-types) and B are causing the flu.

Furthermore, antiviral medications do not exist for the coronavirus, while with the flu they can ease the symptoms.

Additionally, there is no vaccine for COVID-19, while the vaccine for the flu is in use and effective.

Nonetheless, when it comes to contagiousness estimates are that each person having the coronavirus infects 2-3 others. Therefore, it is twice as high as that of the flu.

Anyhow, there are currently around 1,033,478 cases of the coronavirus worldwide compared to the flu which has 1 billion cases each year.

In that light, the death toll of COVID-19 is measured by 54,369 people compared with the flu which has the death toll from 291,000 to 646,000 per year.

As we all see, the coronavirus is a new and vicious disease similar to the flu in some aspects. However, its true danger is that it can overwhelm the healthcare system rapidly and disable the hospitals from providing adequate care to the infected.