Symptom checker: Find out which sickness you have

Not sure if you’ve got Covid, the flu or a common cold? Experts have warned to stay vigilant of ongoing illnesses circulating. Here’s a symptom checker to help identify what you might have.

With the state continuing to detect high numbers of the flu and Covid-19, experts have broken down some of the dominant symptoms to watch out for when illness starts to take over.

As the most recent Omicron sub-variants, BA. 4 and BA. 5, set to become the dominant strain in coming weeks, infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin has issued a warning to Queenslanders.

“We think it is about 30 per cent more infectious for people. What we’re also seeing is reduced protection from reinfection from those who’ve had Covid-19 before. Basically, if you’ve had it before you can’t just assume you’ll be safe this time around,” Dr Griffin said.

And while RAT tests have been proven to be more convenient in some cases, Dr Griffin urged people to keep relying on pathology PCR tests for better accuracy.

“We should be looking at using PCR tests more and more. It also finds other viruses that are circulating at the moment,” he said.

“If you have symptoms and your RAT is negative, it’s always good to still get a PCR.”

Determining symptoms can be

While getting a PCR test is the best way to determine the specific illness, people should also keep an eye on their symptoms.

Covid-19

Respiratory issues are the first symptoms to pop up with Covid-19, according to Dr Griffin who said coughing, fever and headaches are all common symptoms with Covid.

The same goes for the new sub-variants which have both have shown the same symptoms as previous strains.

Influenza

A fever, chills, sore throat and headaches are likely the first symptoms to show in a case of influenza.

General fatigue is also a sign that you could be starting to come down with the flu.

Common cold

A stuffy and runny nose, sneezing and a scratchy or tickly throat are the most common symptoms for a common cold.

While it’s less likely to get a fever, there’s a chance of a low-grade fever appearing in some cases.

Respiratory Syncytial Viral Infection (RSV)

RSV can present itself in all ages, but almost all children will have had an RSV infection by their second birthday, according to the CDC.

A runny nose, decreased appetite and coughing is likely to be the first symptoms that appear during an infection.

According to Queensland Health, almost all private pathologists still provide bulk billed PCR tests for those who are displaying symptoms, but still charge for travel tests.

It comes as the state recorded 3260 new Covid-19 cases with 542 people in hospital including eight in the ICU.

There were no new deaths.

Meanwhile, there’s been an increase in flu cases over the past fortnight with 4758 cases recorded in the week to June 19, which was up from 3862 cases in the week prior.

In the same week, there were 2281 cases of RSV, which also has symptoms similar to that of Covid-19, including fever, cough and muscle soreness.

Nationwide, there’s been a 15 per cent increase in flu cases compared to the previous fortnight bringing the total cases for the year to 147,155 across the country.

However, Dr Griffin said it’s likely this figure is an underestimation given the lack of flu testing, and with GPs still more reluctant to see patients with respiratory symptoms.

Originally published as Symptom checker: Find out which sickness you have