Christopher Connolly, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician at Inova VIP 360º with more than 24 years of clinical experience. Dr. Connolly previously served as the Medical Director and Chief Medical Information Officer of Nova Medical Group and Urgent Care. Most recently, Dr. Connolly worked as a primary care physician for Inova Primary Care in Ashburn and as a lead physician informaticist for Inova Primary Care.
It might start as a sniffle or a headache. You know you’re coming down with something — but what? Is it just a cold? Or could it be RSV, the flu or COVID-19? Do you need to call your doctor or just hit the couch?
You can often tell these viruses apart — if you know what to look for. From there, you can determine when you need to seek medical care.
Different viruses, different symptoms
At first glance, colds, flu, RSV and COVID-19 can look alike. All of them can start with symptoms that feel like a “head cold.” But a closer look reveals that these illnesses have some key differences.
Common cold symptoms
The mildest of these viruses, the common cold usually doesn’t require a doctor’s visit. You probably have a cold if your symptoms come on slowly and get worse over a period of 1 to 3 days.
Common cold symptoms usually include:
A cold will usually not cause:
Signs of the flu
The flu tends to make people more miserable than a cold. One of the first signs that it’s not a cold is its sudden onset. Within hours, you go from feeling fine to feeling terrible. If you have the flu, your symptoms may include:
It’s less common for people with the flu to experience:
Spotting symptoms of RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) feels like a common cold to most young, healthy adults. But it’s not “just a cold.” Thousands of people — mostly adults over age 65 and infants — are hospitalized or die each year from RSV.
Symptoms of RSV often come on in stages and last a total of 7 to 14 days. Healthy adults may experience cold-like symptoms such as:
Babies under 12 months of age and adults over age 65 may have more serious symptoms, including:
RSV can become severe and cause trouble breathing, which can be life-threatening. Seek emergency medical care if you notice:
COVID-19 symptoms
The current COVID-19 variant causes gradual, cold-like symptoms in most people. But like RSV, COVID-19 can be serious in older adults and people with other medical conditions.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Loss of taste or smell is a telltale sign of COVID-19. This symptom is much less common with other illnesses.
When to recover at home
Most of the time, people recover from these infections on their own, but there are exceptions. RSV can be dangerous for infants and older adults. COVID-19 and flu are more serious for older adults and people with other health issues.
The best course of action with a mild virus is to stay home to avoid spreading the illness to others. If you don’t have other health conditions or a weakened immune system, you can:
If you’re concerned about any symptoms, don’t wait it out. Contact your primary care provider or head to an urgent care facility. Many medical offices offer telehealth visits so you can discuss your symptoms without leaving home.
When you need a test
Most medical offices can do rapid tests for COVID-19, the flu and RSV. Testing can be helpful because:
Consider testing if you:
When it’s an emergency
No matter what virus you have, some symptoms always require immediate medical treatment. Get emergency care if you or your loved one has:
Stop illness before it starts
When it comes to any illness, prevention is critical. You can help reduce your risk of getting sick if you:
But even with the most diligent handwashing, you can still be exposed to viruses. Help protect yourself by getting vaccinated against:
Inova can help with any illness Everyone gets sick sometimes. No matter what level of care you need, Inova is here for you. We offer many convenient primary care locations across northern Virginia and beyond. For urgent needs, our Go-Health Urgent Care provides same-day, walk-in and virtual care. Our expert Emergency Care
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Very informative. Thank you.
Wonderful information.
6 months ago I (age 70) caught, perhaps, the common flu, it lasted almost two weeks. I made an appointment, but the appointment was a couple days after symptoms went away & I was deemed fine. Merely a couple days later I caught something more serious, perhaps RSV, lasting over two weeks, coughing up phlem (which I saved for analysis, but never got such done). During both bouts I tested negative for COVID. Anyway, I feel like getting the flu or RSV vaccine would be redundant - I wish I could be tested & learn which illnesses I've caught.
Great help in determining between illnesses
I wish I had been feeling well enough to look at this e-mail earlier. My husband and I are 76 years old and recently went through what we are pretty sure was RSV. Our son who lives with us got it in early Dec, from an unknown source. He isolated as much as possible in his room. I came down with it Dec 26, and my husband started symptoms 5 days later. My son is now better after a second short reoccurance. I am now about 50% recovered and getting my energy back. My husband who is disabled by Lewy Body Dimensia is starting to get better. He had more fever than our son or I did. One night my husband's fever broke and his jamas and bedding were drenched. We all have had "foggy brains" throughout.
The thing we all noticed was how absolutely sticky (almost glue like) the mucus we had was--and I have not seen that noted elsewhere. My husband is still having jags of hard sneezing of 7-9 times, several times a day, enough to cause his eyes to get blood shot as well as fatigue him. This also populates his eyes with a white discharge that is very "burny" (but has been active for about 6 mo). Five eye doctors have assured us it is not infection. I am wondering if he has something else going on now and we should contact his doctor, or if these are within normal range of reactions? A wet wash cloth over his eyes for 5 minutes relieves the burning, but nothing seems to diminish the sneezing, which is continuing to increase in strength and frequency.
Very helpful information as Ive caught the common cold from my husband today (watery burning eyes only) and we both got our spring Covid booster this past week so hoping for a quick recovery. Havent had a cold in years. Thanks