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Australia is seeing a rapid and record rise in COVID-19 cases, thanks largely to the Omicron variant.

There is increasing demand on COVID-19 testing centres all across the country and warnings for Aussies to avoid testing queues where they absolutely can.

Watch the video above to learn about the difference between PCR and RAT COVID test.

Many have been queuing up at testing centres to obtain official PCR testing required for travel in some regions.

Others are queuing up because they’ve noticed symptoms.

If you’re feeling congested and tired, it might be tough to determine whether you’ve got COVID-19, the flu, or something else.

Typically, the advice has been that if you are starting to get sick, you have to assume it’s COVID-19 unless proven otherwise.

“Make sure you isolate yourself (and) get a test to make sure it’s not COVID,” says Dr John Torres.

“If you test negative, at that point you can start to consider the cold or flu, but you should assume it’s COVID-19 until then.

“You notice there’s a lot of overlap in those symptoms, and that’s why it can be so hard to tell the difference between all of them.”

But there are a few differences. Here’s what to look out for:

With a cold, symptoms tend to build up over a few days, Dr Torres said:

Unlike with the common cold or COVID-19, flu symptoms tend to come on suddenly and can feel severe.

“The flu hits you right away,” Dr Torres explained.

“If you’ve ever had the flu, you know you get to a point where you can’t get out of bed.”

Here is what to look out for:

“With the previous COVID variants, including Delta, the main sign was that lots of taste or smell,” Dr Torres said.

In addition to that telltale sign, people experienced other cold- and flu-like symptoms.

So far, the signs of Omicron tend to be similar to previous COVID-19 strains and they might include mild cold-like symptoms.

But there are some slight differences emerging.

People aren’t reporting a loss of taste or smell as much with Omicron as they were with previous variants, Dr Torres said.

“But people are reporting night sweats, which is a very strange symptom that they say they’re having.”

“One of the biggest things is you want to avoid self-diagnosing, Dr Torres said.

“That means if you’re displaying any symptoms, you want to go ahead and get tested

“And, again, you should assume you have COVID-19 until your test says otherwise.”

When you get tested, depending on your symptoms and what your COVID-19 test results are, you might also get tested for the flu or strep throat.

The best home treatments for any of these illnesses depend on the exact symptoms you’re experiencing.

Dr Torres shared some advice about over-the-products that can help, but always check with your health care provider first.

When it comes to COVID-19 and the flu, know that it’s not too late to be vaccinated for either — or both at the same time.

Both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines take a few weeks to build up an immune response and provide the most protection.

So if you haven’t gotten those vaccines yet, getting them now is the best way to be protected in the future.

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