Comparing the Swine Flu with COVID-19

Despite shared similarities, such as symptoms and diagnoses, health experts warn that the COVID-19 pandemic is much deadlier than the swine flu pandemic that preceded it (from 2005-2009).

Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University, tells Health, “COVID-19 can lead to organ damage and long-term symptoms. That isn’t seen with swine flu.”

The most common symptoms associated with the swine flu (and other strains of the flu) are the following, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Fatigue