You can tell if you have COVID or a cold by having COVID test done.
If it's the common cold, the COVID test will come back negative, and if you have COVID then the COVID test will come back positive.
A doctor can test you for COVID or you can also get home COVID test kits.
The symptoms also differ between COVID and the common cold.
With COVID the symptoms of COVID often develop 2 days to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can be more severe.
Common symptoms of COVID are fever, sore throat and sometimes an upset stomach.
With the common cold, the symptoms of the common cold will often appear 1 day to 3 days after exposure to the cold virus and the symptoms of the common cold are generally milder than COVID symptoms.
Symptoms of the common cold are a runny nose or stuffy nose, sore throat, sneezing and sometimes but not always a fever and body aches.
Although a fever and body aches are less common with the cold virus than it is with COVID.
A COVID sore throat feels like the other viral sore throats although the sore throat with the new COVID strain is said to feel like razor blades and is more painful.
Some people with COVID also report a sore throat that is also dry.
Some people may have symptoms of COVID that get worse about 5 days to 7 days after the symptoms start.
Most people that have COVID have mild to moderate symptoms and recover fully within a week or two.
Although COVID can also cause serious medical issues and complications that can lead to death.
Older adults and those who already have medical conditions are at a greater risk of serious illness from COVID.
The sore throat with the new COVID strain is very painful and is described as feeling like razor blades.
The new COVID-19 variant now makes up around a third of United States COVID cases and the signature symptom is a painful sore throat which feels like razor blades.
The razor blade feeling sore throat with the new COVID strain was reported as a common symptom in China, where the variant of COVID first emerged.
To fix a sore throat you can swallow a spoonful or two of honey or add some honey to some warm tea and drink the honey and tea.
You can also fix a sore throat by gargling with some warm salt water or drinking other warm liquids or sucking on a lozenge or taking over the counter pain relievers.
Breathing in some steam can also help ease a sore throat.
Stage 1 sore throat is the initial phase of the infection, like a common cold, in which the symptoms of the sore throat are often mild and often feel like a tickly or scratchy irritation in your throat.
The early stage of a sore throat often appears first and can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing or even a slight cough as the virus takes it's hold.
Common symptoms of stage 1 sore throat are mild throat irritation, a scratchy or tickly sensation or dryness in your throat.
And during stage 1 sore throat, the start of a viral infection, like the common cold is what often leads to the sore throat.
The sore throat or throat irritation is often the first symptom to appear, followed by other symptoms like a hoarse voice, sneezing, runny nose or stuffy which can progress quickly.
The initial stage or stage 1 of a sore throat is temporary, with the infection progressing during the following days.
When you have a sore throat, you should gargle with some salt water, use throat sprays, drink some warm tea with honey, drink plenty of water and stay hydrated and rest to allow your body to focus it's energy on fighting off the infection causing the sore throat.
Also use some over the counter pain medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease the pain and fever if you have a fever and practice good hygiene by washing your hands often to prevent spreading the virus to other people.
You can also take a steamy shower or sit in the bathroom with the shower on hot to make steam in the bathroom, which can add moisture to your throat, which is also good for easing a sore throat.
You can also use a humidifier or vaporizer or boil some water on the stove to allow steam to humidify the room.
Most sore throats will go away within a 1 week to 2 weeks, although some sore throats may go away sooner.
If the sore throat lasts longer than a few weeks or gets worse it could be strep throat and so you should see a doctor to be safe if the sore throat gets worse or lasts longer than a few weeks.