VOA健康报道2022 分辨感冒、流感还是新冠肺炎的最佳途径是检测

Medical experts say the only way to know for sure if you have the common cold, flu or COVID-19 is to get a test because symptoms can be similar.

医学专家表示，确定您是否患有感冒、流感或是新冠肺炎的唯一途径是检测，因为症状可能会很相似。

The flu and COVID-19 have common symptoms, such as cough, fever, tiredness and muscle soreness. The viruses can all spread before people know they are sick.

流感和新冠肺炎有相同症状，例如咳嗽、发烧、疲倦以及肌肉酸痛。这些病毒都可以在人们知道自己生病之前传播。

Many people who have COVID-19 do not feel sick but they can still spread the virus.

很多新冠肺炎患者没有症状，但是他们仍然可以传播病毒。

Important differences

重要差异

The main difference with COVID-19 is people sometimes lose their ability to smell and taste.

新冠肺炎的主要区别在于人们有时候会失去嗅觉和味觉。

With flu, fevers are more common.

流感时发烧最为常见。

With colds, people usually have throat pain or nasal congestion¹.

感冒时人们通常会出现嗓子疼或鼻塞。

The viruses are separate. It is, however, possible to become sick with more than one at the same time.

这些病毒是不相同的。然而人们有可能会同时感染上多种病毒。

Some people are calling the combination of flu and COVID-19 "flurona."

有人将同时感染上流感和新冠肺炎称为流感新冠。

Kristen Coleman is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. She said the number of people with flu and COVID-19 will increase in the coming weeks and months as the northern hemisphere² enters flu season.

克里斯汀·科尔曼是马里兰大学公共卫生学院的助理教授。她说，随着北半球进入流感季节，未来几周或几个月内，流感和新冠肺炎的感染人数还会增加。

Testing is the best way to find out which virus you have.

检测是找出人们所感染病毒的最佳途径。

While tests are in short supply in some parts of the world, Coleman said the best way to find out is to visit a pharmacy³, where you can be tested for both flu and COVID-19 at the same time.

世界某些地区的检测存在短缺，科尔曼表示，最好的办法是去药房，那里可以同时做流感和新冠肺炎的检测。

As soon as you know which illness you have, doctors can help with treatment.

一旦知道自己患上哪种疾病，医生可以帮助你进行治疗。

Coleman said that in normal times, laboratories can find out if you have the common cold. However, right now, most are focused on testing for COVID-19.

科尔曼表示，正常情况下，实验室可以查出你是不是普通感冒。但是目前，大部分人都重点做新冠肺炎检测。

One way to reduce your chances of having a problem with flu and COVID is to get vaccinated⁴, experts say. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is safe to get the flu vaccine⁵ and a third COVID-19 shot, or booster, at the same time.

专家表示，接种疫苗是降低流感或新冠肺炎感染几率的途径之一。美国疾控预防中心表示，同时接种流感疫苗和新冠肺炎加强针是安全的。

1 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

2 hemisphere   

n.半球，半球地图

参考例句：

• This animal is to be found only in the Southern Hemisphere.这种动物只有在南半球才能找到。
• In most people,the left hemisphere is bigger than the right.多数人的左脑比右脑大。

3 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

4 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

5 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。