With many experiencing cold-like symptoms, and with COVID and flu cases rising this winter, it can be hard to decipher what could be behind the onset of symptoms.

Experts say the only real way to know the answer is to test, but until then, health officials say to treat any possible symptoms as COVID.

"If you think it's a cold, if you think it's the flu, it's probably COVID," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr.

"That's good because they're not getting seriously sick, they're not threatening the healthcare system, but it's certainly of some concern because they do have the potential to transmit to others.".

In hospital settings, testing "for not just COVID but for the whole respiratory panel" are increasing across the Chicago area, Loafman said, but testing for such cases is only done when a patient is sick enough to need medical care.

"So 101, 102 [degree] fever can happen with COVID, the fever can get a little higher with flu but it can also be low-grade.

congestion, some shortness of breath - those are all very, very common for both flu and COVID and I think for most of us, we wouldn't really be able to tell the difference.".

She repeated earlier calls for people who have any flu- or cold-like symptoms to assume they have COVID "until proven otherwise.".

More true than ever right now because sick, even a little bit sick, until proven otherwise with a test - that's COVID.