Nasty Covid Symptoms May Be A Sign Of Another Terrible Illness

When COVID-19 came around last year, people of all ages donned face masks and practiced social distancing to protect themselves from the deadly virus,  during that time I started to feel really bad, breathing problems, wheezing, and no appetite, just a couple of the symptoms because of covid and not knowing why I was so sick  I went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with something I found out could make you feel just as sick as covid.

I was diagnosed with Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, or RSV, which is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but in my case, it was way more serious and it can be very bad especially for infants and older adults.

This summer, there has been a sharp rise in cases of the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, across the country. It’s a common virus by the time kids are 2, “virtually all” of them will have gotten it, the CDC says but summer upticks are not common.

Cases have also been rising here in Massachusetts. As of July 24, 6.7 percent of PCR tests for the virus in Massachusetts came back positive in the previous three-week period, CDC data shows.

COVID-19 vs. RSV

Symptoms of an RSV infection include runny nose, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing, wheezing and fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also lead to bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.

RSV is a respiratory infection and COVID-19 has more symptoms, said Dr. Ken Faber, interim chief medical officer at Community Health Programs.

But it's not always possible to tell which virus is at work by just the symptoms. So if you are showing any of these symptoms get checked out.

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