OK we know it isn't the typical influenza, and no you don't get stuffy nose. Instead, you get pneumonia and fevers.

Anything else to help distinguish? Maybe some discomfort in the lung areas?

Most cases are of mild nature and many infected are completely asymptomatic despite potentially spreading the virus. I haven't heard of any symptoms specific to COVID-19 that'd allow for an easy or even reliable self-diagnosis. You'll need to be tested for it. Even if you have a cough the likelyhood to have COVID-19 instead of one of the regular infections is rather low. So – unless you're in a region that's been hit by the virus you needn't worry much. Pay a bit more respect than usual to basic rules of personal hygiene to be on the safer side. Wash your hands thoroughly, avoid touching faces – especially your own! Afaik the virus has a tendency to infest the throat a bit more than other viruses that affect the respirational system, which is part of the reason for a lot of less severe cases and the easy spreading. It'll be roughly like anything else you could catch. :/

Dry cough, difficulty breathing and fever. Should be mild for most people though there has been some deaths for those in their 30s. Otherwise mostly older people and those with cardiac issues / diabetes are vulnerable. If you don't fall under those categories you shouldn't worry about it.

Viruses are different to bacteria, fungi and protozoans. (Viruses are fragile fragments of DNA and cannot survive outside of a target cell for long: sunlight, for instance, is a very effective disinfectant.)

Influenza is infectious, which means the virus is airborne and can be transmitted without touch.

The corona virus family includes the common cold, and they are contagious.

Contagion is a classification that means a person must first come into contact with the virus (by touching the surface of a table, say, after a sufferer has sneezed on it) and then touch some part of the face that is proximal to the throat, like the nose, eyes or lips.

Additionally, the latest strain seems to be more deadly for the elderly (about one in six over the age of 80 die) than the young (only ONE fatality under the age of 20, while other strains are just as deadly for infants), but it is only about ten times more deadly than the common cold.

Ebola killed 11,310 (2014–16) and Avian 'flu (H5N1) has killed 455 over two decades, while SARS killed 774 before ending in 2003. Every year about half a million people die from seasonal Influenza.

The body reacts to viral infection by attempting to prevent secondary infections; this results in the nose being blocked and the body heating to kill off viruses, bacteria and especially fungi. (This are the body's general defences, so they are not indicative of any specific threat, just that the body feels under threat.)

During normal social interaction people (unconsciously) touch their faces all the time. The best defence against contagion is to wash your hands. (A third of people don't wash their hands after going to the toilet, and almost half do not wash their hands before preparing food.) Surgical masks are only useful to prevent a sneeze from spreading from the wearer, not to prevent (very small) viral particles from being inhaled.

Here's a chart that helps you distinguish between corona, the flu or a cold.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ES59_EEWkAAUeJr?format=jpg&name=large

Symptoms of COVID-19 from the Center for Disease Control:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html

Mayo Clinic:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/symptoms-causes/syc-20479963

Why would you seek medical advice on a gaming-related forum?
Genuinely interested btw.

I can think of many worse places to ask than on the GOG forum (social media? village elders? ....).

Some of us might be biology majors. Maybe even virologists or microbiologists. Not me mind you but I do know a lot about avian flu.

I thought runny nose and high fever were signs of having the corona virus?

No.

Runny nose is not a common symptom of COVID-19.

That's a flawed argument. Following that same reasoning, it'd better to seek medical advice at a firefighting station rather than in the local bonsai-lovers society. I kinda get what you're trying to convey here but we should point out that, from a logical perspective, that argumentation doesn't hold water and, in a way, it also validates irresponsibility.

I guess you're assuming that this is about the one and only source of information.

That sounds like a lawyer that's upset with people getting free legal advice.

Where is the place of nice scientists that exist to answer peoples questions on a whim? I have about 10,000 to ask.

Not at all, the fact that I was trying to demonstrate that your argumentation was flawed doesn't mean I'm assuming what you just said. That's another fallacy btw.

Maybe, but I never said I was against anyone seeking information, I just questioned the reason behind doing so here, and afterwards, I questioned the logical validity of a flawed argumentation.

I have to say I'm a bit confused about the nature of your question, if it's rhetorical then forget about what I'm saying but if it's not, then (obviating the sense of entitlement) I propose the creation of a 'scientific hotline' for people in search of answers, that's a great business opportunity you have in there (no joke).