As we brace ourselves for the fall and winter seasons, families may be concerned about the usual seasonal illnesses and how to distinguish them from the coronavirus we’ve spent months trying to avoid.

Influenza in particular may present symptoms that overlap with COVID-19, which is why a flu shot is as important as ever this year. Young children and kids with asthma are also especially vulnerable to flu complications. Any illness, including strep throat and common colds, should be taken seriously as the body’s immune system is compromised while it recovers and vulnerable to further illness. This applies to those who have contact with anyone sick as well—a child may bounce back quickly from a common cold, but spreading it to other people of any age means their immune system is weakened too.

Also note that these illnesses are contractable at any time of year and the same precautions should be taken. Cold-weather months just help them to spread easily as people spend more time indoors, and studies suggest lower temperatures and humidity allow viruses to survive longer.

The chart below is a brief overview of the most common seasonal illnesses and how they overlap or differ. The best course of action when your child doesn’t feel well is to call your pediatrician’s office for guidance and possible testing, and maintain isolation for the appropriate amount of time.

	COVID-19	FLU	STREP THROAT	COMMON COLD
Cause	Single virus	Multiple viruses	Group A Streptococcal bacteria	Multiple viruses
Symptoms	-Fever -Cough -Shortness of breath -Fatigue -Body aches, chills, headache -New loss of taste/smell	-Fever -Cough -Sore throat -Fatigue -Body aches, chills, headache	-Sore throat -Swollen tonsils -White patches in throat -Painful swallowing -Fever	-Stuffy or runny nose, sneezing -Sore throat -Mild cough -Low-grade fever and/or headache -Fatigue
Testing	Nasal swab	Nasal/throat swab	Throat swab	No test
Treatment	No treatment currently available. Most patients recover at home with rest.	Antiviral drugs (Tamiflu) may shorten length of illness. Rest, fever management, fluids.	Antibiotics for confirmed bacterial infection.	Rest, fever management, decongestant if advised.
Duration	Most common symptoms may last up to 2 weeks. Contagious up to 10 days after testing positive.	Symptoms last approximately 1 week. Contagious for approx. 3-4 days.	Contagious until patient is fever-free and has taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours.	Anywhere from 3-10 days. Typically contagious as long as symptoms are present.