As the novel coronavirus infection known as COVID-19 continues to spread across the world — the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. crossed 15,000 on Friday — governments have made incredible efforts to limit the pandemic’s overall reach.
Yet there is also much uncertainty, and a fair amount of unscientific speculation, about the virus and its effects on people’s bodies. And some of COVID-19’s reported symptoms, like fever, cough and shortness of breath, overlap with those of everyday illnesses like strep throat, flu and the common cold.
