The Covid-19 virus is everywhere, and the misinformation is also just a rampant. Here is a summary of a release from the Centers for Diseasesease Control and Prevention. The list of symptons is very short but paying attention to them in relationship to your own health is important.

1. Fever - a fever is a temperature above 37.7°C (100°F), therefore a temp of 99.anything is not a fever. Our temp changes throughout the day, and typically in the morning it will be normal. So check your temp in the late afternoon or early evening. Infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner, "One of the most common presentations of fever is that your temperature goes up in the late afternoon and early evening -- it's a common way that viruses produce fever."

2. Cough - Coughing is another key symptom, but it's not just any cough, said Schaffner. It should be a dry cough that you feel in your chest. "It's not a tickle in your throat. You're not just clearing your throat. It's not just irritated. You're not putting anything out, you're not coughing anything up," Schaffner said. "The cough [caused by Covid-19] is bothersome, it's coming from your breastbone or sternum. and you can tell that your bronchial tubes are inflamed or irritated," he added.

3. Difficulty Breathing - Shortness of breath can be a third - and very serious - manifestation of Covid-19, and it can occur on its own, without a cough. If your chest becomes tight or you begin to feel as if you cannot breathe deeply enough to get a good breath, that's a sign to act, experts say. "If there's any shortness of breath immediately call your health care provider, a local urgent care or the emergency department," said American Medical Association president Dr. Patrice Harris.

In addition to difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, the CDC lists emergency warning signs for Covid-19 as a 4. Persistent pain or pressure in the chest, bluish lips or face - these indicate a lack of oxygen - and any sudden mental confusion or lethargy and inability to rouse. You need to get medical attention immediately, the CDC says.

Now let's compare the above symptons to the common cold and to the flu (influenza).

Many other symptoms can resemble the flu, including headaches, digestive issues, body aches and fatigue, which can be severe. Still other symptoms can resemble a cold or allergies, such as a runny nose, sore throat and sneezing.

Most likely, experts say, you simply have a cold or the flu - after all they can cause fever and cough too. One possible sign that you might have Covid-19 is if your symptoms, especially shortness of breath, don't improve after a week or so but actually worsen.

So what should you do?

"At this moment, the current guidance -- and this may change -- is that if you have symptoms that are similar to the cold and the flu and these are mild symptoms to moderate symptoms, stay at home and try to manage them with rest, hydration and the use of Tylenol," Dr. Patrice Harris said. That advice does not apply if you are over age 60, since immune systems weaken as we age, or if you are pregnant -- anyone with concerns about coronavirus should call their healthcare provider, according to the CDC.

People over 60 years old, people of any age with comprimised immune systems, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer, are obese, etc etc, are at risk and should see a doctor at the first signs of any of the above symptons.

In the end, how do you avoid the virus? The virus is passed through mucous/spit, it is not just floating around in the air waiting to somehow fly into your mouth, nose, or eyes. Stay away from groups of people if at all possible. The experts say try to keep about 6 feet (about 2 meters) of space around you (obviously not possible on buses during the rush hours). Keep your hands clean. If you have to touch any surface that is in the public domain be sure to not touch your face until you can properly wash your hands. Clean hands, not face masks on healthy people, are the key to prevention of not only the Covid-19 virus, but many other viruses and bacterias that effect our health.

Stay safe.