Differentiating COVID-19, influenza (flu), and common cold

Symptoms	COVID-19 Range from mild to severe	Influenza (Flu) Abrupt onset	Common cold Gradual onset
Cough	Common	Common	Common
Sore throat	Sometimes	Common	Common
Body pain	Sometimes	Common	No
Fever	Common	Common	Rare
Diarrhea	Rare	Sometimes, especially in children	No
Sneezing	No	No	Sometimes
Runny or stuffy nose	Sometimes	Sometimes	Common
Shortness of breath	Sometimes	No	No
Loss of taste	Sometimes	No	No
Loss of smell	Sometimes	No	No
Nausea and vomiting	Sometimes	Sometimes	Sometimes
Loss of appetite	Sometimes	Sometimes	Sometimes

José Luiz de Oliveira, MD; Renata Scavone, DVM, PhD.