There’s no denying that diagnosing your child’s flu-like symptoms can be tricky, especially when the common cold, flu, and COVID-19 share roughly the same symptoms. These tell-tale signs often include having a sore throat, persistent cough, and high fever.
The common cold, flu, and COVID-19 are illnesses caused by viruses that attack the respiratory tract. This trait makes these similar diseases quite contagious and spreads relatively fast from person to person.
With that in mind, not knowing what your child has can be pretty concerning. For this reason, it’s best to take your kid to children’s urgent care immediately so they can get tested and diagnosed properly. This is important because each illness will have its own treatment, no matter how similar they can be. When you know the proper treatment to take, it can quicken the recovery of your child.
However, it still pays to know the difference between the common cold, flu, and COVID-19. This can help with immediate treatments, and it’ll help you know if your child needs immediate medical care. So let’s take a look!
The Big Three: The Common Cold, The Flu, and COVID-19
The Common Cold
Many types of viruses cause the common cold. Cold symptoms are often mild and include a tickly throat, stuffy or runny nose, and sneezing. And if your kid has a fever, it’s not usually high or alarming.
Children with a cold would often feel quite well and still have normal energy levels and an appetite. With that being said, you don’t need to test for the common cold, and no specific treatment is needed. Instead, you can let it run its course.
The Flu
The Influenza Virus causes the flu and often can be quite mild. However, unlike the common cold, children with the flu can feel worse and experience more symptoms, such as chills, body aches, and headaches. In addition, they can also have a sore throat, runny nose, and even a dry cough.
When kids have the flu, they’ll often have low energy levels, feel tired and miserable, and often have no appetite. In some cases, they can also experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
In most cases, you can nurse your child at home, and with plenty of liquids and the right medical treatment, they’ll feel better in no time. Not to mention, it’s best to have your child vaccinated for the flu every year.
The COVID-19
COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus and attacks our respiratory system quite violently, especially if you have a low immune system. For kids, when they get infected, they may not even show symptoms, or if they do, it’ll be similar to that of a common cold or flu. But one of the most tell-tale signs of COVID-19 is the loss of taste or smell.
The best way to know if your child has COVID-19 is to have your kid tested immediately. Knowing if your kid has COVID-10 is crucial because this is a highly contagious disease that could affect the whole household.
Seeing as there is no specific medicine for COVID-19 yet, it’s best to follow your doctor’s recommendations and give your kid maximum comfort while they recover.
The Bottom Line: When Should I Take My Child to Child’s Urgent Care?
If you doubt your child’s condition, that’s a good sign for you to call your doctor and visit a child’s urgent care. Seeing as diagnosing your child can be tricky with all the similarities of the common cold, flu, and COVID-19, it’s best to have medical providers examine your kid’s condition.
How Can Your Kids Urgent Care Help You?
If you’re looking for a child’s urgent care, head over to Your Kid’s Urgent Care.
Our facility offers superior and convenient urgent care pediatric services to children. In addition, we serve as the intermediary between a child’s primary care physician and the emergency room. So if you have an emergency or your kid is feeling unwell after-hours, or during the holidays, you can head straight to us.
Learn more about our services or walk into our offices today!
