Cold, Flu, COVID-19 guide
Cold and flu season is upon us and it’s one of the busiest times for all health care facilities, especially urgent care and primary care. For the second year, we also have the COVID-19 virus in the mix. Here’s a guide to this sneezy season. Obligatory disclaimer: This is meant for general information only, not personal medical advice. Consult your doctor for information specific to you. At EuDoc, our members are able to reach us by text, phone, or in person easily on any given day for any medical issue.
What should I do if I start having cold symptoms?
For most otherwise healthy people, colds are self limiting viral illnesses, meaning your body does a good job of getting rid of the viruses without any intervention. Staying at home, getting rest, staying hydrated, and using over the counter medications for symptom control as needed is a completely reasonable, and seemingly underused strategy. Going into urgent care or your doctor’s office may expose you to the flu or COVID if you just have the common cold or allergies.
Do I have the flu, COVID-19, or just a cold?
What separates the flu and COVID-19 viruses from the common cold viruses are their ability to cause severe disease. Though relatively uncommon, the flu and COVID viruses can travel into your lungs and make breathing difficult, requiring hospitalization. They can, even more rarely, affect other body systems. However, some people who contract the flu or COVID-19 may think they just have a common cold or allergies. Clinically, without testing, flu and COVID-19 usually present with a patient looking more sick than the common cold, but sometimes differentiating flu, COVID-19, and the common cold can be difficult.
When should I see a doctor?
Signs of complications or more severe disease require consultation with a physician. Older individuals and those with chronic medical issues such as lung, heart, kidney, or autoimmune disease have a higher risk of severe complications from viral disease, and these individuals should have a lower threshold for early testing and physician evaluation. At Eudoc, all our patients have easy access to us through telemedicine, so they can be evaluated without having to risk exposure to other bugs. This also allows our patients to stay home at rest when they aren’t feeling well. We do in person visits as necessary which are also all included with the membership.
When do tests matter?
One of the main reasons for testing is to see if treatments are needed. Compared to bacterial infections which are treated with antibiotics, treatments for viral illnesses are fairly limited. We offer COVID-19 testing, rapid and PCR, for free to our members.
For COVID-19: There is antibody treatment available outside of the hospital currently under the FDA Emergency Use Authorization. However, there are strict indications for who can get this medication and timing for when they can get it. For the majority of the general public without severe complications, the treatment is rest and quarantine.
For Flu: The treatment for flu only works if started within 48 hours of onset of symptoms (though the duration can be longer for those at higher risk of complication). Flu tends to have a pretty intense, abrupt onset which usually brings people to the doctor’s office allowing them to get treatment earlier. Unlike antibiotics which kill bacteria or stop their growth, the treatment for flu is not required to clear the flu. It just reduces illness by half a day to three days.
Should I quarantine or isolate?
Many people forget there was a time before COVID-19. Years ago, when you had a cough or cold, most people stayed at home and away from people anyways. All viruses are spreadable to some degree. The general recommendations to stay home with the flu or cold is 4-5 days after onset of symptoms or 24 hours after the last fever (100.4 F or higher), whichever is longer. See the CDC guidelines for COVID-19. Testing for the flu or COVID-19 might encourage you to stay away from people, but it is unnecessary for isolation purposes because even for the common cold, wearing masks and keeping some distance from others for several days is a good idea.
Do I need an antibiotic?
Most colds and sinus issues are caused by viruses which are 100 times smaller than bacteria. Many people request antibiotics during cold season, but antibiotics don’t do anything in viral illnesses. One of the reasons antibiotic requests are still so pervasive is because antibiotic courses are usually 5-7 days, the same amount of time it takes for a viral illness to pass even if no antibiotic was taken during that time. Telemedicine services are notorious in the medical field for over prescribing antibiotics. Sometimes you can develop a secondary bacterial infection meaning the bacteria takes advantage of your body being weakened from the virus. One reason to seek physician evaluation is if your symptoms seems to be going on for a longer time than expected or if you started feeling better and then started feeling much worse again.
Cold, flu, and COVID season is no fun. You can help protect yourself and your family by getting the flu shot and COVID-19 shot if you haven’t yet done so. Having a doctor you know who is accessible can give you peace of mind and provide the right treatment at the right time. EuDoc members know they have easy access to their doctors through messaging, phone, or video call. And if they need to come in person, they do not have to sit in a waiting room with other sick patients. Dr. Qiu and Dr. Keener are both taking new patients and are ready to help you navigate this season as well as partnering with you through all other seasons of your health.
