Hospitals and diagnostic labs across Delhi-NCR are reporting a sharp rise in flu-like illnesses, with patients presenting with fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, and fatigue. While the surge has prompted
renewed concerns about COVID-19, doctors and lab experts say the current wave is being driven primarily by seasonal viral infections — and urge patients not to default to assuming a COVID diagnosis.
Testing Numbers Tell The Story
Data from diagnostic labs points to a broad seasonal uptick rather than a COVID resurgence. Dr Sonal Saxena, director of lab operations at Redcliffe Labs told News18 “Over the past month, we have seen a noticeable uptick in fever-related testing, with an average increase of nearly 20–25 per cent across key fever panels and infection markers. Certain tests, especially dengue and post-recovery panels, have shown even sharper spikes, indicating a broader rise in seasonal viral and vector-borne infections.”
Crucially, she added, this pattern is not reflected in COVID-specific testing. “Based on current trends, there are hardly any cases of COVID positivity. This clearly suggests that while flu-like symptoms are rising, they are largely being driven by seasonal infections rather than COVID. The focus at this stage should be on timely diagnosis and differentiation, rather than assuming COVID as the default cause of rising fever,” Saxena said.
How To Tell Flu From COVID
With overlapping symptoms making clinical differentiation difficult, doctors say testing remains the most reliable tool. Dr Ajay Agarwal, chairman, internal medicine at Fortis Hospital Noida, calls a systematic approach. “The RT-PCR (Molecular) test is the ‘gold standard,’ offering high sensitivity by detecting viral genetic material; it is ideal for definitive diagnosis, especially in hospital settings,” he said.
Dr Manisha Arora, director of internal medicine at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, said that “testing for COVID-19 continues to take place at an increased rate because many patients request testing because their presentation of flu-like symptoms overlaps greatly with that of other viruses.” She added that however, “all of the tests conducted so far, none of her patients tested positive for COVID.”
The trend is not limited to the capital region. Dr SG Harish, senior consultant, internal medicine at SPARSH Hospital, Bangalore, says the pattern mirrors a broader national picture. “There has been a noticeable rise in flu-like illness over the past months, especially with seasonal changes. Hospitals are reporting more cases of influenza (like H3N2) and mild COVID variants, presenting with similar kind of symptoms. Such respiratory infections also now behave more like seasonal waves, continuously increasing during certain periods and then declining,” he said.
What Are The Symptoms?
Doctors describe the current clinical picture as one where influenza and COVID symptoms are nearly indistinguishable. Arora from CK Birla listed fever, chills, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, malaise, headache, and muscle aches as the most common presenting complaints, with shortness of breath occurring in rarer instances. She noted that loss of taste or smell could appear in both COVID and influenza cases, “which complicates the differentiation between the two types of viral respiratory infections based on clinical symptoms alone.”
Agarwal from Fortis flagged specific warning signs that require immediate attention: “Any shortness of breath or chest pain necessitates immediate medical evaluation with your nearest healthcare professional.”
For most patients, recovery timelines remain manageable. Experts said the majority of mild cases resolve within 5 to 7 days.
Doctors were united in urging those at higher risk — the elderly, those with chronic lung or heart disease, and the immunocompromised — to seek medical advice early. Agarwal said high-risk individuals “should seek medical advice within 2 days of symptom onset to discuss the possible antiviral treatments, which significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation.”
