HOUSTON — A tweet from President Donald Trump was removed from Twitter Tuesday morning for potentially spreading misleading and harmful information. In the tweet he compared the flu and COVID-19 and suggested the country should learn to live with COVID-19.
Dr. Prathit Kulkarni, infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine, said that’s not the case, especially for people who are 60 and older.
"The data shows that the mortality rate of COVID-19 substantially higher than the mortality rate of influenza," Dr. Kulkarni said.
The flu and COVID-19 are both viruses that have similar symptoms, but COVID-19 has a few other symptoms, like loss of taste and smell.
"We have a treatment that people can take at home even if they have a relatively mild flu. We don’t have an at home treatment for COVID-19," Dr. Kulkarni said.
As we approach flu season, doctors recommend getting the flu shot and getting tested if you develop any flu-like symptoms.
"I think there is too much overlap between flu and COVID. I think it's really challenging to make a self-diagnosis at home," Dr. Kulkarni said.
COVID-19 is reportable and is tracked by positive test results. The CDC tracks flu numbers that are estimates at best. Experts say each state health department has a different system.
Harris County Public Health only tracks the deaths of people 18 years or younger, and flu cases are not required to be reported.
Nonetheless health department officials want people to take both very seriously.
"We don’t want to be dealing with a situation of having a high or terrible flu season on top of an existing pandemic of COVID-19." said Dr. Sherri Onyiego, director of nutrition and chronic disease prevention at Harris County Public Health.
Experts think reopening the country is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
"When you talk about reopening, it has to be measured where health and safety is still put forth and still put front and center," Dr. Onyiego said.