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What Happens With Cold, Flu and COVID in the Air This Winter?

November 11, 2021

A cold or flu does an uncanny impression of COVID-19. A fever, chills, cough, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea or nausea could be a sign of any of the three illnesses.

You can weather a cold or the flu. But if you have COVID-19, you’ll want to know for sure. That could mean a lot of COVID-19 tests this winter. If you’re fully vaccinated and still take precautions in any indoor public space, you have a good chance of remaining COVID-free. If you’ve had your flu vaccine — it’s not too late! — you’ve reduced your chances of getting knocked out by seasonal influenza.

But every cold you get this winter probably warrants a COVID-19 test, just to be sure.

“If anybody has any symptoms that may be a common cold, they should probably still want to get tested (for COVID-19), even if they’ve been vaccinated,” says Dr. Ulysses Wu, Hartford HealthCare’s System Director of Infection Disease and Chief Epidemiologist.

So how to recover more quickly or even prevent some colds?

“Popping a zinc throat lozenge or taking an over-the-counter cold remedy with zinc in it, as a syrup or tablet, may shorten the length of rhinovirus colds,” says Sharon Knight, a Hartford Hospital dietitian. “Zinc also helps symptoms — nasal congestion, nasal drainage, sore throat, and cough — resolve sooner.”

A recent study in the journal BMJ Open, in fact, reveals zinc as an important mineral when used to reduce the severity of respiratory tract infection symptoms. A 2015 analysis of three randomized trials found zinc acetate lozenges shortened the duration of nasal discharge, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, cough and muscle aches. (Unfortunately, they didn’t help much with headaches and fever.) The study’s authors found that the lozenges, at 80 milligrams a day, were effective when started within 24 hours of the first symptoms and used for less than two weeks.

Pediatric patients with common colds also responded to oral zinc, according to a 2012 review, though frequent dosage and possible side effects such as bad taste or throat irritation might make it less practical for that age group.

Zinc is available in lozenges or as a supplement, but it’s also readily available in your diet: red meat, chicken, seafood, whole grains, beans, dairy products, whole grains and nuts are good sources.

Long-term use, particularly in high doses, can cause copper deficiency and possibly increase your risk of urinary tract issues. It can also reduce your body’s immune function.