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Both the coronavirus and influenza are circulating in Switzerland. The two pathogens currently occur approximately equally often – and cause similar symptoms.
Whether flu or coronavirus: The symptoms are very similar – this makes it difficult for those affected to distinguish between them. – keystone
the essentials in brief
- The flu has caught up with Corona in terms of the frequency of cases in Switzerland.
- Both the BAG and various hospitals are monitoring this development.
- Meanwhile, it is difficult to distinguish between the two pathogens based on their symptoms.
As the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) reports, the influenza virus has replaced the coronavirus in Switzerland: It is currently the flu that is circulating most strongly in this country.
The flu epidemic remained stable over the holidays and is still increasing slightly. The BAG reports the relative viral load as “high” to “very high”.
The situation is different with the coronavirus: Here, the BAG reports the viral load as “low” to “medium” – the detection rate, in turn, is falling.
University hospitals in Bern and Basel confirm the trend
Within the BAG’s measuring system, influenza and corona detections are currently in a similar range. When asked by Nau.ch, the Inselspital in Bern confirmed this trend: “Both types of evidence are currently similarly common.”
In addition, there are – to a lesser extent – infections with the RS virus, which mostly affect children. Finally, the island group also registers cold viruses such as rhinoviruses, adenoviruses and consortia, which are already very common in the colder seasons.
At the University Hospital of Basel, too, an “increasing number of hospitalizations due to influenza and fewer due to corona” are currently being observed. This trend can be seen very clearly – but overall hospitalizations are still within a manageable range.
It is hardly possible for those affected to distinguish between influenza and corona
And how do you distinguish the flu from Corona? A distinction is usually not possible for an affected individual. Both viruses could trigger a wide variety of symptoms that overlap greatly, according to the experts from the Inselspital.
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At the molecular level, however, the two types of virus differ very much: “Overall, SARS-CoV-2 is more contagious. The illness caused by the viruses is also different, but there is a lot of overlap.”
The currently circulating Covid variants cause the symptoms known from previous virus variants: headaches, muscle pain, fatigue, cough, fever or sore throat.
The sudden loss of the sense of smell or taste, which was previously often observed, is becoming less common.
The risk of complications from both pathogens is similar
Infections with the influenza virus more often led to bacterial pneumonia. Most other complications – such as accompanying immunological phenomena – are more widespread with SARS-CoV-2.
The dangers of both viruses cannot be easily compared with each other, as the Inselspital experts further explain. However, it is known from studies on the transition to the omicron variant that the risk of complications from both pathogens is now “of a similar magnitude”.
#similar