Flu v. COVID-19

The Flu season is just about here and there’s concern that when it hits it will make for added stress on healthcare providers and confusion to patients unsure if their symptoms are from flu or COVID-19. We talked about all of this with Dr. Shad Marvasti, Director of Public Health at the UA College of Medicine.

Dr. Marvasti is concerned that the window they had to fight COVID-19 before the flu season is closing with no new resolution. This is a real problem for everyone because a number of the symptoms for the flu overlap with COVID-19. This also creates a new threat for the healthcare system. It means that it is much more likely for hospitals to reach capacity.

A new way to prevent this, is testing for immediate symptoms to distinguish between the flu and COVID-19.