It’s that time of year again, the time when everyone gathers indoors to share a meal and maybe a germ or two.

Health officials are seeing more cases of cold and flu-like symptoms since Thanksgiving, a trend that likely will not wane until spring. The question is how to know if it’s a common cold, COVID-19 or seasonal flu.

But there are ways to protect each other from passing on virus germs while passing the peas.

“We have to protect ourselves,” said Emily Horton, Deschutes County Health Services emergency preparedness and COVID recovery program manager. “We’re in the beginning of an upward slope of infection. There’s more sickness to come.”

In the days post Thanksgiving, 8.5% of all COVID-19 tests were positive. That’s a tad higher than roughly the same time the year before, when 6.5% of all tests were positive, according to the Oregon Health Authority Respiratory Viral Pathogen Wastewater dashboard.

The rate of positivity at the same time in 2020-2021 was 12.3%, according to the dashboard chart.

Dr. Brian Sullivan, a Mosaic Community Health family practice physician, said he’s seeing more patients coming in with flu and cold symptoms: runny nose, cough and sneezing.

What to do if you think you have a cold, flu or COVID-19

What to do if you think you have a cold, flu or COVID-19

If you have cold symptoms: cough, runny nose or sneezing, it’s most likely a cold. But to be sure, it is recommended that you take a home COVID-19 test. Most tests are able to pick up variants. Re-test 24-48 hours later.

There is no way to know if you have COVID-19 without testing, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

Source: Deschutes County Health Services

“I recommend to my patients, especially the elderly folks and those at high risk, to be vaccinated for these vaccine-preventable diseases,” Sullivan said. “COVID-19 vaccines do prevent some transmission, but not as much as we’d like. But it does reduce the severity of the illness.”

Sullivan said in October he saw a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases among patients who were in nursing home settings. Now it’s more flu-like illnesses. Seasonal flu season began in October and runs through May.

Is it a cold or flu?

Is it a cold or flu?

Symptoms of flu can include fever, or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.

Cold symptoms usually are milder than the flu symptoms. Colds generally don’t result in serious health problems.

Source: Oregon Health Authority

The only way to know if the symptoms are COVID-19, a common cold or seasonal flu is to test after symptoms appear and to re-test 24-48 hours later, said Horton. Home tests work for COVID-19 and can detect most variants.

Jonathan Modie, Oregon Health Authority spokesman, said, “Because colds and flu share many symptoms, it can be difficult, even impossible, to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. It is important to test for COVID-19. Doing so can differentiate between COVID-19, the cold and flu, as well as help discern what treatment to follow.”

This year has seen a slow start to seasonal flu season, unlike last year when the flu season spiked early, Horton said.

Health officials say people with cold symptoms should stay home. They also say to wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces and, if you’re at home, ventilate the area, Horton said.

The COVID-19 vaccine that’s out now can reduce the severity of the illness, she said. It is available through most health care providers.

Sullivan said he receives a lot of questions about the COVID-19 vaccination.

“I recommend that patients get a COVID vaccine now, not because the disease is expected to be worse, but (because) hospitalizations are traditionally higher in the winter. We don’t want to overwhelm the capacity of our healthcare system.”

Deschutes County Health Services still has free tests available for pickup.