Last Updated on February 27, 2024 by Shabnam Sengupta
Quick Take
A social media post claims that covid and flu are the same as it shares a picture of a combined test for influenza and Covid 19. We fact-checked and found this claim to be False.
The Claim
A Twitter post shows a photo of boxes of a combined test kit for Covid-19 and influenza. The Tweet reads, “covid = flu and flu = covid. even the test kits admit this now.”
Fact Check
What is flu?
Flu or influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses. There are four types of seasonal influenza viruses, namely, types A, B, C and D. The flu symptoms include fever, chills, headache, persistent and dry cough, muscle and joint pain, severe malaise, sore throat and a runny nose. It spreads from person to person through respiratory secretions and inhaling droplets containing the virus or direct contact. In most cases, a person can recover. However, it can cause complications such as pneumonia, myocarditis, encephalitis, myositis, and multi-organ failure. It can even be fatal in rare cases.
What is COVID-19?
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In most cases, it can cause mild to moderate respiratory illness, and the patients recover without requiring special treatment. However, some people, especially those who are old or have a co-morbidity, can develop serious illnesses and require medical attention. Research states that the primary route of transmission of COVID-19 is via respiratory particles. Its spread can be reduced by limiting the contact of infected individuals via physical distancing and other measures and reducing the transmission probability per contact.
Are Influenza and COVID-19 the same?
No. The test kit that is shown in the post display a combination of self-test approved by The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia. It is used for the detection of both COVID-19 and Influenza. The TGA said the test kits would help users distinguish between Covid-19 and the flu. These are the diseases with similar symptoms but different treatments. The combined Covid-19 and influenza test kits do not prove these diseases are identical. In fact, the instructions for the kit even display that there are two separate specimen wells for testing Covid-19 and influenza. Additionally, there are two different sections for the results which do not coincide with each other.
Influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms. However, the two are completely different. The CDC lists some dissimilarities between the two. Most importantly, the causative agents of the two diseases are two different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) first identified in 2019. Contrastingly, influenza or flu is caused by the influenza or flu virus.
The WHO states that even though the symptoms for both diseases are the same, in addition, specific symptoms such as anosmia (lack of smell) and ageusia (lack of taste) occur only in COVID-19.
Also, COVID-19 can cause more severe illness and take a longer duration to show symptoms. Lastly, other than the elderly and people with co-morbidities, in both the diseases, pregnant women, young children and infants are at a higher risk.
Lastly, a correct diagnosis can be made only after specific testing, i.e., RT PCR, Antigen tests, etc., for COVID-19 and tests such as rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs), and rapid molecular assays for Flu.
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