Is It a Cold, the Flu or COVID-19?

Deborah Pike Olsen, AARP, Updated September 10, 2021

A quick comparison of telltale signs

There are no hard-and-fast rules about COVID-19 symptoms because the coronavirus tends to affect people differently. Here’s what experts know now:

• A sudden loss of smell or taste may be the first sign of COVID-19. This symptom seems to occur later and is less pronounced in those with the flu or a cold. However, some doctors are seeing this symptom less frequently in people who have the delta variant.  
• Flu symptoms tend to strike abruptly, whereas those associated with COVID-19 start out mild and gradually worsen.
• People who have the flu may be more likely to experience nasal congestion and a productive cough than those with COVID-19. A cough associated with the coronavirus tends to be dry. People who have the delta variant, however, may be less likely to experience a cough. 
• Shortness of breath is common in people with the flu and COVID-19, but not in those with a cold.
• Weakness is more common in people with COVID-19 versus the flu.
• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are more common in COVID-19 patients than in those with the flu.

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