What is the Difference Between Flu, COVID, and RSV? They All Cause Cold-like Symptoms
Helathy - All three of these respiratory illnesses are caused by highly contagious viruses. They all cause cold-like symptoms, such as cough and runny nose. However, each has unique features, such as loss of taste or smell with COVID (although the latter symptom is reported to be less frequent than it was before the Omicron variant), and wheezing in children with RSV. While many people experience mild illness from these viruses, factors like age and general health put some at higher risk for hospitalization and death. In the case of COVID, even healthy young people have developed Long COVID, defined as signs, symptoms, and conditions that can continue for weeks, months, or years beyond the initial infection or develop later. Flu can come on fast and cause the entire body to ache within a couple of days. COVID symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus, while RSV takes four to six days; in the latter two diseases, symptoms build slowly. If you...