Doctor says assume you have Covid if you feel sick and can't get tested

FOX 2 - You’re sneezing, coughing, you have a sore throat. Is it flu or is it Covid? Some people have a name for the confusion

"Flurona, because the flu-like symptoms are similar to the coronavirus," said Mary Smettler, of Southfield.

But if you’re playing the guessing game what should you do? Because symptoms of the omicron variant mimic the flu and cold, medical professionals say you should get tested for both the flu and COVID at the same.

"Most urgent cares will swap you for both but I would request it just to make sure," said Dr. Asha Shajahan, Beaumont Grosse Pointe.

Doctors say you can have Covid and the flu at the same time, so don’t assume the symptoms mean one or the other.

"You can test positive for both," she said

Doctors make it clear if you can only get one test, get the COVID test - because if you are positive, that’s information your doctor and the public health community will need to know moving forward

"Because once you have Covid you could have a long haul of symptoms so it’s important that your doctor or healthcare provider knows that you had Covid," Shajahan said. "Also for public health reporting in general, when we’re coming up with recommendations in terms of quarantining, keeping schools open, etc, a lot has to do with the amount of people who are testing positive."

With high demand for testing kits and long lines at Covid test sites if you can’t get access to a flu or Covid test - doctors have this advice.

"If you have symptoms, instead of guessing and thinking it’s probably this or that, it’s just best to assume it’s COVID-19 until proven otherwise," she said.

Doctors believe it’s a safe assumption because the omicron variant is highly contagious

"Most people are testing positive who are taking the test and this is why you should assume so, until proven otherwise," she said.