Obviously, with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the response, there is some discussion on the nature of the virus. When the virus first broke news, many referred to it as a flu-like virus. Now, many insist that calling this virus the flu is inaccurate. But, is it? Part of the trouble with calling this virus a flu-like virus, or calling this virus a bad flu, is the colloquial usage of the word flu. Many use the word flu to describe numerous symptoms that may or may not be related to actual influenza. Simply put, the flu is an upper respiratory viral infection. There are several recognized influenza subtypes and many strains. COVID-19, although not from a known influenza virus, is a flu-like virus because it is also an upper respiratory viral infection. This should not be comforting. Flu-like illnesses can be very dangerous and can cause a host of complications. Why do some think that calling COVID-19 a flu-like virus does not adequately describe the virus? I would argue becau