Hantavirus vs COVID-19: how to tell the symptoms apart

This page explains the symptom differences between hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and COVID-19. It is for awareness only and does not substitute medical evaluation. If you have severe respiratory symptoms, seek urgent care regardless of cause. Onset and incubation: - HPS: 1-8 weeks from exposure, most often 2-4 weeks. Triggered by inhaling rodent-contaminated dust. - COVID-19: 1-14 days from exposure, most often 3-7 days. Person-to-person respiratory transmission. Initial phase (1-5 days of symptoms): - HPS: high fever, severe muscle aches (especially thighs and back), headache, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain). Cough is often absent at the start. - COVID-19: fever, cough, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, headache, fatigue. GI symptoms can occur but are less prominent. Distinctive features: - HPS often presents with prominent muscle pain and GI symptoms with relatively little respiratory complaint at first. - COVID-19 typically has cough, sore throat, and (in 20-50%) loss of smell early on. - Loss of smell/taste is common in COVID-19, very rare in HPS. Critical phase: - HPS: 4-10 days into illness, sudden cardiopulmonary phase begins. Severe shortness of breath, fluid in the lungs, low blood pressure, shock. Progresses to respiratory failure within hours. ICU admission and ECMO often needed. - COVID-19: severe disease usually develops more gradually around days 5-12. Hypoxemia is common, with longer time to ICU need. Some patients deteriorate rapidly but the median pace is slower.