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Get immunized against influenza

Illness comparison chart

Learn about the differences between COVID-19, influenza, common cold, and gastrointestinal illness (GI).

ON THIS PAGE:

Overview
|
Symptoms

Overview

	COVID-19	Influenza	Cold	GI Illness
Cause	SARS-CoV-2 virus	Influenza A or influenza B viruses	Many viruses	Many viruses (Norovirus is the most common)
Symptoms appear quickly	Sometimes	Yes	No	Yes
Immunization	COVID-19 vaccine	Influenza vaccine	No vaccine	No vaccine

Symptoms

	COVID-19*	Influenza	Cold	GI Illness
Fever	Sometimes	Common	Rare	Sometimes
Chills	Common	Common	Sometimes	Sometimes
Fatigue	Sometimes (more common in older adults)	Common	Sometimes	Sometimes
Cough	Common	Common	Common	No
Sneezing	Common	Sometimes	Common	No
Aches and pains	Common	Common	Sometimes	Sometimes
Runny and stuffy nose	Common	Common	Common	No
Sore throat	Common	Common	Common	No
Diarrhea	Common	Sometimes (especially for children)	Rare	Common
Nausea/Vomiting	Sometimes	Sometimes (especially for children)	Rare	Common
Headache	Common	Common	Rare	Sometimes
Shortness of breath	Common	Sometimes	No	No
Loss of smell or taste	Common	No	No	No

*COVID-19 symptoms are different for everyone. You may not have all of these symptoms. This is not a complete list of symptoms for COVID-19

Current as of: October 12, 2023
Sources: Provincial Immunization Program, Alberta Health Services

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Our work takes place on historical and contemporary Indigenous lands, including the territories of Treaty 6, Treaty 7 & Treaty 8 and the homeland of the Métis Nation of Alberta and 8 Métis Settlements. We also acknowledge the many Indigenous communities that have been forged in urban centres across Alberta.