symptoms, how long they last now and how they differ from the flu or cold

When the Spanish health authority reminds that mild cases should not end up in the emergency department, the seriousness of the issue in terms of the saturation of these services is clear. The situation has not yet reached this point, but it is true that according to the latest data, the incidence of Covid-19 has increased in Spain. In Aragon, the positivity rate in primary health care exceeds 10% and in hospitals 12%.. However, experts acknowledge that the coronavirus “shows no sign of severity” in a scenario in which it behaves like another acute respiratory disease.

The Carlos III Institute of Health in its latest report “Sentinel Surveillance of Acute Respiratory Infection in Primary Health Care Facilities (ARI) and Hospitals (SARI): Assessments of Influenza, Covid-19 and RSV” the incidence of covid-19 was 24.3 cases/100,000 (8.9 cases/100,000 in the previous week). The proxy estimates the Covid-19 hospitalization rate to be 1.35 per 100,000 (0.86 per 100,000 in the previous week). In terms of severity, the number of hospitalized cases due to Covid-19 has increased since the start of the season. 30% pneumonia, 4.2% intensive care unit admission and 8.9% mortality.

The SARS-CoV-2 variant detected to the greatest extent in ARI cases in primary health care settings was Pirola, BA.2.86 (57.71%), with predominance from week 5 and corresponding to JN lineage circulation. 1. The SARS-CoV-2 variant detected at the highest rate among hospitalized cases was BA.2.86 (56.21%).with predominance from the 3rd week, which corresponds to the circulation of lines BA.2.86 and JN.1.

Dr. Luis Miguel García, family physician and president of the Aragonese Society of Family and Community Medicine, explains that any respiratory viral infection can cause complications, but the norm is a four-day fever with a sudden exacerbation. “There are different viruses coexisting among us at the moment.”

Differences between influenza A, B and the common cold

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. Influenza viruses type A and B are the most common and cause seasonal epidemics of the disease:

The difference between influenza A and influenza B is that A is the most serious because it has a greater ability to mutate and can be transmitted from animals to humans.. This is exactly what happened with epidemics such as the 2004 bird flu or the 2009 swine flu.

Influenza type B is milder and only affects people and its symptoms., because the virus mutates two to three times slower than A, and therefore allows us to develop greater immunity. The negative side of the matter is that Symptoms usually last longer and are especially harmful for young people and children.as it is more common among people in this age group.

Common flu symptoms that appear even 24 hours after infection include: chills, fatigue, fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, severe runny nose and sore throat. Symptoms of a cold usually include nasal congestion, cough, sore throat and, less commonly, fever, fatigue and sneezing. They appear one to three days after infection with the virus and are completely cured in less than 10 days.

Covid symptoms in January 2024

The most common symptoms in people infected with the newest lineages are: cough, fatigue, headache, sore throat, fever, hoarse voice, muscle pain, shortness of breath, loss of smell and appetite, tachycardia, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing and diarrhea.

Dr. Garcia explains that the above symptoms They are tormented for 4–5 days during the period when the infection rises and another 4 during the days when it declines.although there are those who refuse to leave the affected body: “the cough persists for 2-3 weeks as a symptom of infection,” the doctor points out.

Treatment of respiratory viruses

Dr. Garcia clarifies that the treatment in all these cases is simple: paracetamol and ibuprofen, since the antibiotic is taken from the fourth to fifth day, when the disease becomes more complicated. “You consider prescribing an antibiotic after the fourth or fifth day when the situation becomes more complicated. “If the infection is nasal and feels like it’s going down into the chest, it doesn’t; this is a superinfection, another infection, probably a bacterium, affecting the bronchi. There you will need an antibiotic to fight it. new infection.”

Garcia is asking for common sense to avoid infecting the rest of his family and friends. “Who is bad? Avoid contact with older people or people with weakened immune systems or wear a mask; take precautions.”