I almost covid they are growing again: it is thought that the peak will be reached close to Christmas, he explained in recent days to beraking latest news Salute the virologist Fabrizio Pregliasco. However, the increase in numbers coincides with the flu season and this makes it more difficult to recognize which respiratory virus has contracted
The difficulty in distinguishing the Covid-19 infection from the flu is so widespread that the World Health Organization has dedicated an episode of the “Science in 5” format to this very issue. The doctor Sylvie Brianddirector of the WHO Department of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases, underlines how many symptoms coincide: fever, headache, body aches, sneezing and coughing
To these, in the case of Covid-19, are added the loss of taste and smell. Even if, it should be noted, in many of the latest variants this specific symptomatology of the virus has disappeared. L’Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome points out that, when it comes to Covid, it is more likely to develop a particularly intense sore throat, respiratory complications and gastrointestinal disorderssuch as vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain
Both conditions, the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome always underlines, are transmitted mainly in the same way, that is, through the so-called dropletsthe droplets that the human body expels when we speak, cough and sneeze
Another point where Covid and flu converge is that both can occur in asymptomatic manner (without any symptoms) or few symptoms (with few symptoms, mostly mild). Both infections are then very contagious
To be sure you have contracted the coronavirus, it is therefore essential to undergo a specific test swab. However, Dr. Briand highlights how the prevention remain a fundamental factor to avoid falling victim to both the coronavirus and the flu. It is therefore advisable to wash your hands often, ventilate closed environments that host many people, use protective masks and maintain physical distancing
Incubation times vary of the two viral infections. In the case ofinfluenzawe read on the Bambino Gesù website, the symptoms usually appear in a period between in 1 to 4 days from contact with the infected person. The Covid employ instead from 2 to 14 days to manifest itself, provided that it is a symptomatic form
Another theme concerns the possibility of contracting both Covid and the flu at the same time. The president of the Italian Society of Infectious Diseases, Massimo Andreoni, thinks that “theoretically” it is aeventuality that could occur, even if “it is not known what the result is”. It is also hypothesized “an antagonistic effect”, with one of the pathologies that “leads the other to manifest itself in a less important way”
In the meantime, the health authorities continue to recommend the vaccination as a “fundamental” method in the reduce the risk of serious illness related to both infections. This can be read, for example, in a common declaration of commissaria Ue alla Salute Stella Kyriakides, del European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the regional director of who europe His cleverness
“We continue to encourage the most vulnerable people – the elderly, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions such as heart disease and healthcare workers – to get vaccinated against seasonal flu and COVID-19. We can’t say it enough: vaccination saves lives. It decreases the chances of being infected and reduces the risk of serious illnesses due to Covid and seasonal flu.
The line is the same espoused by the Italian government. “We must face Covid and seasonal flu together, which this year seems to be very strong, and we must do it if possible with a uonly vaccination that can be done in a single session“said the Minister of Health Horace Schillaci