COVID vs. Cold Symptoms: How Do They Compare?

Cold-like symptoms of COVID, including sore throat, cough, headache, and a runny nose, can begin five to six days after exposure and last for one to 14 days. If you don't have COVID but instead have a common cold, symptoms typically appear two to three days after exposure and last less than a week.

COVID symptoms can range from mild to severe and, in some cases, require medical attention and even hospitalization. Some people with COVID have no obvious symptoms. Common cold symptoms are usually mild but can be uncomfortable. Because the common cold and COVID have overlapping symptoms, getting tested for COVID is critical in deciding a treatment plan.

Read on to learn the differences between common cold and COVID symptoms, such as how long a runny nose might last, as well as prevention and treatment options.

Common Cold Symptoms vs. COVID Symptoms

While the common cold and COVID are different illnesses, they share a few common symptoms. Understanding the differences in symptoms can help you decide to get tested for COVID quickly and receive proper treatment.

Symptoms may vary depending on the COVID variant. If you experience symptoms of any COVID variant, or you think you have a cold but your symptoms are not improving after a week, see a healthcare provider. COVID can also have symptoms similar to those of the flu and allergies.

Common Cold Causes vs. COVID Causes

More than 200 respiratory viruses cause common colds, a type of upper respiratory infection (URI). The most common viral causes of the common cold are rhinoviruses. Some human coronaviruses (not SARS-CoV-2) can also cause the common cold. Colds are most common in the winter when people are inside more often, but you can catch a cold at any time of year.

There are different types of coronaviruses. For example, SARS-CoV-2, which appeared in 2019, causes COVID-19. While SARS-CoV-2 can cause cold-like symptoms, it does not cause the common cold.

How Common Colds and COVID Spread

Both the common cold and COVID can spread through infected respiratory droplets. If you have a cold or COVID and you talk, breathe, sneeze, or cough close to another person and that person inhales those infected droplets or touches them and then their face, they can get infected, too.

Severity and Complications

Common colds generally have mild symptoms that last less than a week. People with COVID can be asymptomatic. COVID symptoms can also range from mild to severe, sometimes leading to hospitalization and even death.

The cold-like symptoms of COVID, like runny nose and sore throat, typically last one to 14 days. Other COVID symptoms, like new loss of taste and smell, may linger for as long as a year. Additionally, long COVID can last weeks, months, or years.

Both the common cold and COVID can have complications, but those complications are different,

Common Cold Complications

Though they have no cure, colds are usually mild. However, in some cases, colds can lead to other conditions. Complications from the common cold include:

• Asthma attacks
• Bronchiolitis and bronchitis
• Middle ear infections
• Pneumonia
• Worsening chronic health conditions, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure

COVID Complications

It's important to stay up-to-date on vaccinations and get tested for COVID if you suspect you have it. COVID severity can range from mild to severe. Mild COVID symptoms include fever, cough, and fatigue. Moderate COVID symptoms include difficulty breathing and mild pneumonia. Severe COVID cases often require hospitalization and can lead to pneumonia, organ failure, and possibly death.

Risk factors for becoming severely ill with COVID include:

• Being immunocompromised
• Being 50 years old or older
• Being unvaccinated
• Having certain disabilities or underlying health conditions

Prevention

The common cold and COVID have many of the same prevention methods. However, the common cold has no vaccine. Staying up-to-date on your COVID vaccinations can help prevent the spread of COVID and make you less likely to get severely ill if you do have COVID.

General ways to help prevent getting a cold or COVID include:

• Practicing good hygiene, including washing and sanitizing your hands often, covering coughs and sneezes with tissues, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces
• Bringing fresh air into your home by opening windows when it's safe to do so and using air filters
• Moving activities outdoors when possible and safe
• Staying home and away from others if you are sick
  

Treatments

Treatments for the common cold and mild COVID have similar treatments to help you feel better and manage symptoms. However, it's important to get tested for COVID if you suspect you have it because specific COVID treatments exist, too.

Common Cold Treatments

The common cold usually gets better on its own over time. However, certain treatments can help you manage your symptoms. Common cold symptom treatments can include:

• Breathing in steam from a bowl of hot water or the shower
• Drinking lots of fluids to stay hydrated
• Getting plenty of rest
• Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as cough suppressants, pain relievers, and fever reducers (OTC cough and cold medications are not recommended for children younger than 6 years old)
• Using a clean humidifier
• Using saline nasal spray or, for younger children, a rubber suction bulb
• Using throat lozenges or cough drop; children under 4 years old should not have lozenges or drops
  

COVID Treatments

Several treatments for COVID exist, depending on the severity of your illness. However, these treatments are not substitutes for staying up-to-date on COVID vaccinations. If you test positive for COVID, talk to a healthcare provider about the best treatment option.

Antiviral treatments are most effective if you start them within 5-7 days of experiencing symptoms. COVID antiviral treatment options include:

• Lagevrio (molnupiravir): This is for adults. It is taken orally at home.
• Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir with ritonavir): This is for adults and children 12 years and older. It is taken orally at home.
• Veklury (remdesivir): This is for certain adults and children. It's administered with intravenous (IV) infusions at a healthcare facility for three consecutive days.

Treatments for adults who are hospitalized can also include Olumiant (baricitinib) and Actemra (tocilizumab).

A Quick Review

The common cold and mild COVID have a few similar symptoms, including runny or congested nose, cough, headache, fatigue, and sore throat. However, COVID may have symptoms like nausea, new loss of taste and smell, and high fever, that you would not experience if you have a cold.

Cold-like symptoms of COVID may begin five to six days after exposure and last for one to 14 days. However, the number of days between onset and duration of symptoms may vary from person to person. It's important to get a COVID test if you suspect you are infected so you can start the correct treatment as soon as possible. Talk to a healthcare provider if you experience COVID symptoms or cold symptoms that do not go away or worsen after a week.

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up to date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.