{"id":318489,"date":"2025-12-16T05:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/318489\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T05:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:35:14","slug":"covid-or-flu-heres-how-to-tell-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/318489\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID or flu? Here’s how to tell the difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

As winter settles in, it\u2019s not just the colder mornings and darker evenings making people feel a bit off \u2013 it\u2019s the sudden surge in seasonal illnesses too. Many of us are battling scratchy throats<\/a>, blocked noses and that run-down feeling<\/a> that always seems to arrive ahead of Christmas.<\/p>\n

But this year, flu season has escalated far more quickly than expected. Last week, it was reported that the number of flu patients in hospitals in England had hit a record high for this time of year, with an average of 2,660 patients in hospital each day \u2013 a 55% jump in just seven days<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cases are also reported to be more than 50% higher<\/a> than they were last winter, putting extra strain on NHS services.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the usual winter bugs<\/a> and respiratory infections are circulating widely and COVID continues to persist in the background<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re feeling unwell and unsure what\u2019s causing it, here\u2019s a simple guide to help you make sense of your symptoms \u2013 and what steps to take next.<\/p>\n

Differences between flu and COVID symptoms\"Man<\/p>\n

While flu often gets better by itself, some can become seriously ill. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

What is flu and what are the symptoms?<\/p>\n

The flu is a contagious respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses. Similarly to COVID, it is spread by droplets from an infected person coughing, sneezing or talking.<\/p>\n

Flu symptoms, according to the NHS, include:<\/p>\n

a sudden high temperature<\/p>\n

feeling tired or exhausted<\/p>\n

feeling sick and being sick<\/p>\n

While flu will often get better on its own, some can get seriously ill, which is why it’s important to protect yourself with the NHS vaccine if you’re advised to.<\/p>\n

Symptoms present similarly in children, though they can get pain in their ear and seem less active too.<\/p>\n

What is COVID and what are the symptoms?\"Woman<\/p>\n

A headache and runny nose are some of the main symptoms of COVID. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

COVID is also a contagious respiratory illness, but is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a form of coronavirus.<\/p>\n

As per the NHS, symptoms include:<\/p>\n

a high temperature or shivering (chills)<\/p>\n

a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste<\/p>\n

feeling tired or exhausted<\/p>\n

feeling sick or being sick<\/p>\n

These are thought to be similar between adults and children.<\/p>\n

When the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) first reported the Nimbus variant in England, it outlined that there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest any new symptoms.<\/p>\n

However, some doctors associated the Stratus variant with hoarseness \u2013 a scratchy or raspy voice.<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

Don’t delay in getting free COVID-19 or flu jabs this winter if advised or invited. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

What to do if you have flu or COVID-19<\/p>\n

If you have flu, rest and sleep, keep warm, take recommended doses of paracetamol or ibuprofen and drink plenty of fluids.<\/p>\n

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if any of the following apply:<\/p>\n

you or your child have symptoms of flu and you’re worried about your baby’s or child’s symptoms<\/p>\n

you’re 65 or over, you’re pregnant, you have a long-term medical condition<\/p>\n

you have a weakened immune system<\/p>\n

your symptoms don’t improve after seven days.<\/p>\n

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, call NHS 111 if:<\/p>\n

you’re feeling worried or unsure what to do<\/p>\n

you’re worried about a baby or child under five<\/p>\n

For either, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities (taking extra care to avoid those at high risk).<\/p>\n

Call 999 or go to A&E if:<\/p>\n

you get sudden chest pain<\/p>\n

you have difficulty breathing<\/p>\n

you start coughing up a lot of blood<\/p>\n

your child seems very unwell, is getting worse or you think there’s something seriously wrong<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As winter settles in, it\u2019s not just the colder mornings and darker evenings making people feel a bit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2400,120298,8447,122782,126086,59,1666,102,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-318489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-covid","9":"tag-feeling-unwell","10":"tag-flu","11":"tag-flu-season","12":"tag-flu-symptoms","13":"tag-gb","14":"tag-getty-images","15":"tag-health","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}