In the face of an unprecedented fall and winter, now is the time for community pharmacists to begin preparing their pharmacies for the administration of lifesaving vaccinations. Thankfully, with continued support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the pharmacist’s ability to deliver critical clinical services for community health continues to strengthen.
Yet, the challenge remains – how do patients and caregivers effectively tackle both COVID-19 and the flu simultaneously? As we saw during the onset of the pandemic, patient education continues to be key to effective mitigation.
In support of patient education and awareness, let’s look to some of the key similarities and differences between the two illnesses.
Signs and symptoms
Similarities:
- Flu and COVID-19 are both highly contagious viral respiratory illnesses
- Common symptoms that COVID-19 and flu share include:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle pain or body aches
- Headache
- Vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults)
Differences:
- COVID-19 is caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, while the flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses
- COVID-19 infection may carry long-term complications, such as heart damage
Exposure and infection
Similarities:
- In both illnesses, after infection, it takes one or more days to experience symptoms
- Patients can spread both viruses for at least one day before experiencing symptoms
Differences:
- Flu symptoms develop one to four days after infection, whereas COVID-19 symptoms develop five days, on average, after infection
- COVID-19 patients can be contagious for longer than flu patients, while most flu patients are contagious for approximately one day before symptoms begin to show
- COVID-19 patients can be contagious approximately two days before signs or symptoms appear, and for at least 10 days thereafter
Spreading
Similarities:
- Both viruses can spread from person-to-person – usually in close contact (within approximately six feet)
- Both viruses are spread mainly by droplets produced by coughing, sneezing, or talking
- Both viruses can be spread via physical human contact or by touching a contaminated surface
- Both viruses may be spread by asymptomatic carriers
Differences:
- In comparison to the flu, COVID-19 is more contagious among certain populations and age groups
- COVID-19 is more likely to superspread than flu
High-risk patients
Similarities:
- Both viruses can result in severe illness and complications – especially for high-risk patients including seniors, those with underlying medical conditions, and pregnant women
Common complications that COVID-19 and flu share include:
- Pneumonia
- Respiratory failure
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (i.e. fluid in lungs)
- Sepsis
- Cardiac injury (e.g. heart attacks and stroke)
- Multiple-organ failure (respiratory failure, kidney failure, shock)
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions (those involving lungs, heart, nervous system, or diabetes)
- Inflammation of the heart, brain, or muscle tissues
- Secondary bacterial infections (i.e. infections that occur in people already infected)
Differences:
- Most who get flu recover within a few days, or less than two weeks, while COVID-19 recovery can range anywhere from days to weeks, and sometimes months
- The flu carries a higher risk of complications and severe illness among healthy children, while school-aged children infected with COVID-19 are at higher risk of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
- COVID-19 can cause additional complications not caused by the flu, such as blood clots in the brain, lungs, heart, or legs
Approved treatments & vaccines
Similarities:
- People at high risk of complications, or who have been hospitalized for COVID-19 or flu, should receive supportive medical care to help relieve symptoms and complications
- Vaccines for both illnesses must be approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Differences:
- The FDA has approved prescription influenza antiviral drugs to treat the flu, while no such FDA-approved drugs or other therapeutics currently exist to treat COVID-19
- Each year, the FDA licenses the production of many influenza vaccines to protect against flu viruses that circulate during flu season, while no COVID-19 vaccine exists, to date
PrescribeWellness is here to help
Beyond patient education, PrescribeWellness is at the ready to turn your pharmacy into a healthcare destination through vaccination workflow and implementation support. By offering solutions to identify opportunities for vaccinations across your entire patient population, PrescribeWellness can help jump-start your workflow for a successful vaccination clinic.
We appreciate all of the work you and your staff are doing to care for patients during this critical time. To learn how PrescribeWellness can help you provide vaccinations to support long-term health in your community, as well as additional services, such as COVID-19 testing, connect with us today.
