With so many vague symptoms that could be one or the other, I was glad to see this chart shared by a hospice nurse in Kansas. It's just a guide but as most of us know the hospital is the last resort these days. Overworked, understaffed and without a stockpile of resources to meet demand. Stay as well as you can and pray or send good thoughts to those who are not well. Stay home!
I have read a few testimonies from survivors. Granted, they were the harder hit cases, but yes, much much worse pain from the aches and the ability to breathe is greatly restricted. Kind of like bronchitis but much worse. The aibilty to eat and drink water was too much effort for some people. Another symptom I recently read about is the lack of the ability to smell or taste. About 50% of the people questioned, said that they lost their ability to smell and taste before they showed any other symptoms of the virus. Yes, they had the virus at that point. Yes, the ability to taste and smell was restored as they healed. So I am going around making sure I can still smell.
Yeah, the shortness of breath/inability to breathe is the symptom that is the one that sends people to the hospital. Especially those with compromised systems and/or lung damage. I saw video today that explains it as well.
Unfortunately the fatality rate for Covid is much higher than the flu (the flu about 1 in 1000 die, with covid it is at least at 1% of those who catch it and could be at 3% or more) And if the hospitals get overwhelmed then expect that number to spike esp in the elderly...
Yes, I'd agree that the symptoms for flu do make you feel worse but as statistics show, you're not likely to die from it. Some will of course. But if you get to that severe shortness of breath with Covid, it's not good. And a hospital stay may not really help with the shortages. A MD hospital just got 5 ventilators this week. Sadly how do they decide who gets a ventilator? I think they have twenty in all now.
I saw a news report last night that said people on ventilators are often on them for 20-30 days. That is a long time.
I have been lighting candles to make sure I can still smell things, lol. The thing missing from this chart is something I deal with. Sinus infections. They aren't exactly a cold, and can present differently. It's common for me everytime the weather changes. Today its 53 but pollen is high. A few days ago it was 90! I switch from AC to heat. But I wonder if a sinus infection/ear infection caused by allergies would fit this chart as a cold. I do get fevers with that, often, usually low grade and not severe. I ALWAYS cough, being an asthma patient. And I've never had pneumonia or bronchitis that I am sure about but I have had breathing restricted severely and that's the scariest part for me. I hate that this is all so similar.
I just keep banking on the fact that I don't have a fever or body aches, so I'm probably dealing with a head cold. {fingers crossed}.