Covid or flu, the symptoms: doctors' advice to avoid contagion

Covid symptoms: they are more important than ever at this moment given the increase in Italy not only in cases of coronavirus positivity, but also of flu with the peak which according to experts will be reached at the end of the month in the midst of the holidays.
In the first week of December there were 59,488 new Covid cases in Italy, more than double the 27,000 at the beginning of November; the data would then be widely underestimated given that fewer and fewer swabs are now being used.
Hospitalizations in the medical area are increasing and – sadly – also deaths: in November the overall deaths due to Covid were just under 900 while in the first week of December the figure was 307, almost all elderly people over 80.
For them and vaccination is recommended for the frail: so far, however, only just over 3% of over 60s have received the third booster dose.
In the last week, however, there were 630,000 cases of flu.
Despite these sharply worsening numbers, the ministry's experts reiterated that the situation is "under control", but a way to increase vaccines in risk groups, perhaps involving general practitioners, is being studied.
One of the problems is that at the moment it is difficult to distinguish Covid from the flu given the similar symptoms: fever, sore throat and cough.
The differences appear only after five days with the coronavirus which can lead to complications such as pulmonary fibrosis.
Given the similarity of the symptoms, the best way to understand if you are dealing with Covid or the flu is to take a swab, a practice that the government could soon put in the attic by relying on a sample of general practitioners for monitoring .
read also Can we go out with Covid? The updated rules Covid and flu symptoms: doctors' advice Talking about Covid symptoms, swabs and vaccines takes us back a couple of years to the darkest period of the pandemic; with the arrival of the winter season, according to experts we will reach the peak of infections – also with regards to the flu – at the end of the month.
In this scenario, to best protect the elderly and frail, who are the groups most at risk of hospitalization, it is essential to distinguish Covid from the flu: given the initially substantially identical symptoms, the only way to be certain remains that of the swab.
Considering the approach of the holiday period, where traditionally we gather as a family, on Adnkronos Dr.
Filippo Anelli – president of the National Federation of Medical and Dental Orders (Fnomceo) – listed some advice on how to avoid getting infected.
“Given the increased circulation of Covid and influenza, we need to return to prudence – explained Anelli -.
To avoid contagions, it is better to avoid greetings with kisses and hugs, a widespread habit among Italians, especially in the South.
Maintaining a little physical distance, in these cases, is not a sign of less affection but a gesture of attention towards oneself and to others." President Anelli's invitation is therefore to have prudent attitudes, because during the Christmas holidays "we will have a peak in infections both for influenza diseases and for the coronavirus".