UAE: Flu or Covid-19? Look out for symptoms and get checked, say doctors

Dubai - Vaccinations are important to stay protected against both.

With the flu season setting in, doctors have urged residents to take extra precautions and consult specialists as soon as symptoms emerge. They also noted that the symptoms of Covid and flu are ‘very similar’, so medical advice should be sought immediately.

“Anyone who has symptoms of flu...should isolate themselves and get a Covid test done to get a correct diagnosis. If the Covid test is negative, then they should get themselves tested for influenza,” Dr Farida Al Hosani, executive director of the infection diseases sector at the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, said earlier during the launch of the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s seasonal influenza awareness drive.

UAE doctors also called on residents to keep calm when they start feeling unwell.

“Covid-19 presents with similar symptoms like seasonal flu. However, Covid symptoms are far more severe and can present with sudden loss of smell and taste,” said Dr Prashant Sharma, ENT surgeon at Prime Hospital.

ALSO READ: How can I tell the difference between the flu and Covid-19?

Around this time of the year, as the weather shifts from summer to winter, more people become prone to flu. The cold temperature may cause dryness and dehydrate one’s mucus membrane that protects against infection. Vitamin D production also changes with the season and can affect immunity, Dr Sharma said.

Dr Tooba Farooq, general physician at Medze Clinic in Deira, said flu symptoms may last for four to seven days and range from a simple cold to runny nose, fever, cough, muscle ache, headache and sore throat in the first three days.

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com