Five differences between COVID-19 and Common Cold

If you are having symptoms of COVID-19, it's important that you visit your healthcare provider right away for medical advice. However, notably, COVID-19 and the common cold cause many similar symptoms. Both of the conditions have some similarities, they are developed as a result of a respiratory virus and spread from person to person through droplets that are released from the nose and mouth. But it is important to remember that they are not the same. A person can develop COVID-19 when he/she contracts the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a type of coronavirus. There are four coronaviruses that usually cause the common cold in humans. SARS-CoV-2, however, leads to a different illness. Here are some of the differences in the symptoms of the two:Incubation periodCOVID-19 symptoms usually start after 2 to 14 days after exposure to SARS-CoV-2. But symptoms of a common cold may appear in 1 to 3 days after exposure to a virus that causes a cold.Shortness of breathShortness of breath is one of the prominent symptoms of COVID-19. But when it happens with other key symptoms like fever and cough, the likelihood of having an infection with SARS-CoV-2 increases.Sore throat and coughThough a cough may or may not happen when you have a common cold but a severe cough is likely to happen if you have COVID-19. Such an infection leads to chest congestion.Fatigue and feverFatigue and fever are more common in the case of COVID-19. A person infected with SARS-CoV-2 is likely to experience weakness in his or her body to a great extent. A common cold does not make you weak to such high levels.Loss of smell and tasteLoss of smell and taste is one of the identifiers of COVID-19. In order to test for a loss of taste at home, a person should taste foods with strong seasoning and check whether they can feel any difference in the flavours. Nothing of this sort happens in the common cold.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.