How does COVID-19 compare to the flu?
Flu and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2) and seasonal flu (most often just called “flu”) is caused by infection with one of many influenza viruses that spread annually among people.
Are influenza (the flu) and COVID-19 caused by different viruses?
Influenza (the flu) and COVID-19, the illness caused by the pandemic coronavirus, are both contagious respiratory illnesses, meaning they affect your lungs and breathing, and can be spread to others. Although the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu can look similar, the two illnesses are caused by different viruses.
Which one is more contagious, COVID-19 or flu?
Differences: If a person has COVID-19, they could be contagious for a longer time than if they have flu.
Can you get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time?
Yes. It is possible have flu, as well as other respiratory illnesses, and COVID-19 at the same time. Health experts are still studying how common this can be. Some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, making it hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone.
Are there different types of coronaviruses other than COVID-19?
Coronaviruses didn't just pop up recently. They're a large family of viruses that have been around for a long time. Many of them can cause a variety of illnesses, from a mild cough to severe respiratory illnesses. The new (or “novel”) coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is one of several known to infect humans.
What kind of infections are caused by common corona viruses?
A coronavirus is a kind of common virus that causes an infection in your nose, sinuses, or upper throat.
When do you start being contagious with COVID-19?
A person with COVID-19 is considered infectious starting 2 days before they develop symptoms, or 2 days before the date of their positive test if they do not have symptoms.
What temperature kills the virus that causes COVID-19?
In order to kill COVID‐19, heat virus‐containing objects for: 3 minutes at temperature above 75°C (160°F). 5 minutes for temperatures above 65°C (149°F). 20 minutes for temperatures above 60°C (140°F).
Can I still transmit the virus if I have had the COVID-19 vaccine?
Although it's possible that people who are fully vaccinated could still spread the virus, the vaccines are excellent at protecting you from severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19.
What are some symptoms of Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5?
The U.K., where BA.4 and BA.5 infections also account for the majority of recent COVID cases, reported runny nose, sore throat, headache, persistent cough and fatigue as its most common symptoms last week.
What are the most common symptoms of the Omicron subvariant BA.5?
According to the University of California Davis Health, the reported symptoms of BA. 5 are similar to previous COVID variants: fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, headaches, muscle pain and fatigue.
How quickly do Omicron variant symptoms appear?
The time it takes for an infected person to develop symptoms after an exposure is shorter for the omicron variant than for previous variants — from a full week down to as little as three days or less, according to the CDC.
What is the origin of the virus that causes COVID-19?
SARS-CoV originated in bats and was transmitted to humans via civet cats [3] while MERS originated in camels [4]. While it is currently unknown the precise route by which SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted from animals to humans, it is argued to have a bat origin [1,5].
Is COVID-19 caused by a virus or a bacteria?
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by a virus, NOT by bacteria.
What are the different types of viral tests?
Viral Test TypesLaboratory tests can take days to complete and include RT-“PCR” tests and other types of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs).Rapid Point-of-Care tests can be performed in minutes and can include antigen tests, some NAATs, and other tests.
What is the difference between SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19?
In 2019, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of a disease outbreak that originated in China. The virus is now known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease it causes is called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Overview
Structure and genetics
Influenza type A viruses are very similar in structure to influenza viruses types B, C, and D. The virus particle (also called the virion) is 80–120 nanometers in diameter such that the smallest virions adopt an elliptical shape. The length of each particle varies considerably, owing to the fact that influenza is pleomorphic, and can be in excess of many tens of micrometers, producing filamentous virio…
Variants and subtypes
Influenza type A viruses are RNA viruses categorized into subtypes based on the type of two proteins on the surface of the viral envelope:
H = hemagglutinin, a protein that causes red blood cells to agglutinate. N = neuraminidase, an enzyme that cleaves the glycosidic bonds of the monosaccharide sialic acid (previously called neuraminic acid).
Annual flu
The annual flu (also called "seasonal flu" or "human flu") in the US "results in approximately 36,000 deaths and more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year. In addition to this human toll, influenza is annually responsible for a total cost of over $10 billion in the U.S." Globally the toll of influenza virus is estimated at 290,000–645,000 deaths annually, exceeding previous estimates.
The annually updated, trivalent influenza vaccine consists of hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprot…
Multiplicity reactivation
Influenza virus is able to undergo multiplicity reactivation after inactivation by UV radiation, or by ionizing radiation. If any of the eight RNA strands that make up the genome contains damage that prevents replication or expression of an essential gene, the virus is not viable when it alone infects a cell (a single infection). However, when two or more damaged viruses infect the same cell (multiple infection), viable progeny viruses can be produced provided each of the eight genomic …
Human influenza virus
"Human influenza virus" usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 are the only known influenza A virus subtypes currently circulating among humans.
Genetic factors in distinguishing between "human flu viruses" and "avian influenza viruses" include:
Other animals
See H5N1 for the current epizootic (an epidemic in nonhumans) and panzootic (a disease affecting animals of many species especially over a wide area) of H5N1 influenza
Avian influenza
Fowl act as natural asymptomatic carriers of influenza A viruses. Prior to the current H5N1 epizootic, strains of influenza A virus had been demonstrated to be transmitted from wildfowl to …
Subtype list
Influenza A virus has the following subtypes:
• Influenza A virus subtype H1N1
• Influenza A virus subtype H1N2
• Influenza A virus subtype H2N2
• Influenza A virus subtype H2N3
Ada: A Background
A Critical Flu Discovery
- When it came to influenza research almost every senior scientist was free to find their niche— and for Ada and his colleague Alfred Gottschalkthat meant investigating the biochemical dimension of the virus-host cell interaction. Ada’s major breakthrough came in 1953 when he found that the flu virus’ genes were not composed of DNA but of the related...
Shift to Immunology
- Along with his Walter and Eliza Hall Institute peers, Ada’s focus later shifted from virology to immunology. He applied modern methods to trace where vaccine molecules — antigens — go after injection. Though Burnet himself found it near impossible to produce a “readable” account of Ada’s work because of its highly complex, technical nature, an obituary in the Sydney Morning H…
A New Home
- After two decades at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, by which time Ada’s work had been cited in noteworthy journals more than 10 times, he took up a position at the Australian National University. The new role was as head of the Department of Microbiology at the John Curtin School of Medicine— for which, as Burnet wryly observed, the institute “served almost as a nursery” for …