How do we differentiate Covid-19 from influenza or RSV?

Just in time for Christmas, we are fully into the Christmas season. Transmission of seasonal respiratory virusesespecially increased mobility and social gatherings in enclosed spaces.

Influenza and RSV have re-entered the epidemiological landscape, exacerbating the rebound in Covid-19 cases.This is the whole story So-called ‘tripleemia’, a viral cocktail In recent years, he has been the point person responsible for tensions at the health center.

The latest data collected by the Carlos III Health Institute in mid-December show that the overall incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in Spanish primary care centers A 33% increase compared to the previous weekthe number of severe cases requiring hospitalization increased by 10%.

In light of this rebound, the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE) analyzed Positivity levels for different viruses

A triple epidemic of acute respiratory infection interventions to detect and control these health risks:

• 20% corresponds to influenzaAn illness caused by influenza A and B viruses, increased by 7% compared with the previous week.
• 14.3% are caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus variants Confirmed cases of the disease causing Covid-19 increased by 1%.
• 15.2% correspond to RSV or respiratory syncytial virusCases of bronchiolitis and pneumonia decreased by 0.6%.

Experts infer that following the usual trends over the past few quarters, the number of cases will continue to increase in the coming weeksfollowed by a decline in late January.

At the same time, the Ministry of Health recalled The importance of wearing a mask and maintaining social distance In addition to urging vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza, vaccination should also be done if necessary.

This is particularly important for risk groups or people who come into contact with them, helping Reduce the number of serious cases hospitalized or even death from any of these diseases.

It must also be taken into account that illness caused by any variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus may lead to the appearance of physical sequelae, leading to the emergence of physical sequelae. increased susceptibility to other diseases derivative.

What is COVID-19 and what do we know about it?

How do you know if it’s covid-19, the flu, or another illness?

Illnesses caused by respiratory viruses They have a large proportion of the same symptoms And make them look very similar at first glance, although there are key differences between them.

despite this, The only way to confirm this is to test. Specifically designed to detect these viruses in our bodies. Many pharmacies offer rapid antigen tests for self-diagnosis, and health centers also perform laboratory tests.

The correct time to get tested is Within a few days after symptoms appear, the moment when viral load peaks typically begin. Generally speaking, it usually takes 1 to 4 days for people with influenza or RSV to develop symptoms after being infected with the virus, while it usually takes 2 to 14 days for people with Covid-19 to develop symptoms.

Clinical Manifestations: Symptoms of Influenza Virus, RSV and Sars-Cov-2 Infections

Common symptoms include fever, fatigue, cough, congestion and runny nose, headache, throat and chest pain, and other body aches and general feeling of malaise, or difficulty breathing that may include wheezing.

Unlike other illnesses that also exhibit similar symptoms, such as the common cold, the severity may vary, and Symptoms usually last several days.

A common sign that you have Covid-19 is a loss of taste and smell, although these symptoms may not occur with all variants of the virus.It must be considered that we may also encounter Cases of infected people without symptoms But they can still spread the virus.

Infection occurs through Infected discharge that we pass through our nose or mouth It usually enters other people through the respiratory tract when sneezing, coughing or talking.There are viruses too Can survive for several hours on inert objectsalso making it possible for infection to occur without being close to the patient.