It’s something likely everyone has experienced over the past month — a single sneeze, sniffle or cough, eliciting at least a moment of internal panic.

“Do I have COVID-19?”

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever and cough, and in serious cases difficulty breathing. But some health officials say some mild cases of COVID-19 can include symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or a cough, possibly accompanied by body aches and lethargy. This can make it difficult to distinguish COVID-19 symptoms from those of the common cold or influenza.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, says the most important thing for people experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms is to self-isolate.

“On the mild end of the spectrum, most people won't even need to seek health care. ... If you have signs and symptoms of COVID-19, just assume you have COVID-19 and stay home,” Bogoch said.

“It’s as simple as that.”

Anna Banerji, also an infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, said while she appreciates people are anxious, limiting the spread is more important than satisfying your curiosity.

“It’s a tricky kind of thing right now, because everyone’s really anxious, saying ‘Well, could this be coronavirus?’ For the milder cases, the curiosity is not worth going in and getting tested and risking being exposed or risking exposing other people,” she said.

Some people don’t experience any COVID-19 symptoms at all. Even for people who are experiencing mild symptoms, including fever, it’s still better to stay home and self isolate.

Doctors advise people who are recovering to get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids.

When it becomes significantly more serious is if a person starts to have trouble breathing. People should call their local health hotline for advice on how to proceed.

“Shortness of breath with any viral infection is something that needs to be assessed,” Banerji said.

She said while high fever and lethargy can come with influenza, difficulty breathing is indicative of a more serious condition.

“If you start having difficulty breathing with influenza, that means the influenza is either in the lungs or you have a secondary infection in the lungs,” Banerji said. “That’s not normal.”

On the “extreme” spectrum, people with COVID-19 can experience pneumonia or fluid in the lungs. At that point they need to be hospitalized, Banerji said.

People with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, chronic lung diseases or who are immunocompromised are at greater risk of experiencing serious illness such as pneumonia as a result of contracting COVID-19.

If you’re experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms, there are numerous self-assessment tools available online to determine if further testing is needed. Even if the self-assessment tool says COVID-19 testing is not recommended, you are still required to self-isolate.

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If the self-assessment tool says you need to be tested, call your local health hotline to determine the safest way to do so before attending a hospital or health clinic.

Anyone experiencing serious difficulty breathing or other symptoms that require immediate medical attention should call 911 and advise the operator that you may have COVID-19.