Doctor reveals key symptoms that means you've got Covid and not a common cold

Cast your minds back to 2020, when millions around the world were sent into Christmas lockdown, and governments finally seemed to realize just how deadly the COVID-19 pandemic was.

Despite US advice against travel, some two million people flew on airlines during the Thanksgiving period, and by December 8, 2020, the USA passed 15 million cases, with around one in every 22 Americans testing positive since the pandemic began.

Jump forward to 2025, and Covid seems like a thankfully distant memory in the world of health. Still, that doesn't mean the likes of the World Health Organization aren't keeping an eye on it.

At the time of writing, the WHO confirms there have been a total of 7,103,462 deaths, with 46 recorded in the last week.

Even though people might think that COVID-19 has been eradicated, the figures suggest otherwise.

Importantly, the 46 deaths in the last seven days represent a six-person jump from the week before.

There's continued research into the pandemic, but while the likes of Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have been vocally against the vaccine, new stats suggest it hasn't done the long-term harm that some ant-vaxxers claimed it would.

The government is making big moves when it comes to the Covid vaccine, but according to one doctor, the virus is still something we need to be looking out for.

Doctor Rupa Parmar, a GP and medical director at Midland Health, has said there are certain signs you need to look out for when trying to figure out if you've got a common winter cold, the flu, or something even worse.

Although there are common symptoms across all three, Parmar explained: "There are some key differences between a common cold, Covid and flu that can easily help you differentiate them."

She warned that if you're unsure, you should always consult a doctor: "After all, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to health."

A flu cough is said to be dry and will 'come on very quickly', when compared to a cold cough, which will be 'more mild'. In terms of Covid coughs, these are also going to be dry. Parmar noted: "With Covid, a cough will be dry and continuous, and many people will cough for more than an hour or have three or more coughing episodes within a day."

In terms of differentiating between the three, a common cold can be caused by several viruses and is easily spread through droplets in the air or contaminated surfaces. The flu is more serious than a cold and is spread by the specific influenza virus.

Even though it generally gets better on its own, the flu can lead to serious complications. After experiencing symptoms like high temperature, aches, and exhaustion, you're advised to get plenty of rest while keeping warm, take paracetamol or ibuprofen, and drink lots of fluids.

Covid is obviously the most alarming, and is a severe respiratory SARS-CoV-2 syndrome. These symptoms typically include a high temperature, shortness of breath, exhaustion, and a loss of taste or smell. You'll tend to feel better in a few weeks, although some have a much longer period of recovery.

Parmar concluded: "Understanding which virus you have depends on the combination of symptoms and their severity. A mild cough and sore throat are unlikely to be more than a cold, a fever and severe fatigue suggest the flu, while a loss of smell or taste and continuous cough point to COVID."