Australian owned - AHPRA registered

Flu? Doctor Online for Certificates and Care

Fine at breakfast, floored by lunch. An Australian GP can assess you by phone or video and write a certificate when you are unable to work.

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4.8

500k+

Consultations Completed

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Australian Practitioners

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100%

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About General Health

Educational Hub for general health and circulatory issues, covering both routine and urgent GP consult needs.

Cold Flu Viral Infection GP Consult

Important Information

Our doctors provide assessment and treatment when clinically appropriate. This service is not for emergencies.
If you are in urgent need of help, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000 in an emergency.

Talk to a cold and flu doctor online about what's knocking you around

Woke up aching and shivery, with a shift starting in an hour. Book a phone or video GP appointment and the doctor can help you work out which winter virus is most likely, then arrange a test or a work certificate when they think you need one.

One blocked nose, three likely viruses behind it

Colds and flu are viral infections of the nose, throat and airways, and COVID-19 sits in the same winter crowd. Day one can feel identical. A cold usually builds over a day or two and stays mostly above the neck, while flu tends to hit suddenly. Queensland Health's cold and flu comparison lists fever as common with influenza and rare with a cold.

Fever and body aches that arrived within a few hours
Symptoms still climbing by day four
Pregnancy, age over 65, or a heart, lung or kidney condition
A faint or confusing line on a home RAT
You need a note for work, or for staying home with a sick child.

Person with cold and flu symptoms speaking to an online GP

Match the main symptom to the page that covers it

Speed of onset is the most useful clue. A slow build of sneezing, a scratchy throat and a stuffy nose fits a common cold, and plenty of people keep working through one. Feeling fine at breakfast and flattened by lunch, with fever and sore muscles, is more typical of influenza. Two other pages often suit better:

Positive RAT, or a lost sense of smell or taste: COVID-19

Face pain and pressure that build after a cold has dragged on belong under sinusitis.

A winter virus consult often ends with a swab request or a sick note

Expect plenty of questions about when you first felt off, what the thermometer has shown and who else at home is unwell. From there the doctor decides whether a test would change what happens next. Many healthy adults just need a plan. Rest, fluids, and a clear point at which to call back.

Work or carer's certificates for the days your GP agrees you're too sick to work, or are caring for someone who is

PCR swabs for flu or COVID-19 through a pathology referral, when the result would change your care

New to telehealth: the Prime Medic booking steps show what to expect on the call.

Struggling to breathe with a virus is a triple zero call

Phone and video care suits adults and older kids who are sick but steady. Get in early instead of waiting it out if you're pregnant, over 65, looking after an unwell baby, or living with a long-term heart, lung or kidney condition.

Breathless at rest, chest pain, or lips turning blue: call 000.

Sudden confusion or being very hard to wake is also a 000 emergency.

A baby feeding poorly, unusually sleepy or getting worse needs same-day in-person care at a GP clinic or emergency department.

Older parent going downhill over a day or two. Same-day in-person GP, or ED after hours.

A fever that settles and then returns needs a second look

Anything your GP issues, such as a certificate or swab request, is emailed once the call ends. Book again if you're getting worse instead of better after a few days, your breathing changes, or the fever returns after you'd started to feel better. Once you've recovered, ask about the yearly flu vaccine. It's recommended for everyone from six months old, and some higher-risk groups can get it free.