Is it coronavirus or allergies? Experts offer tips to help you tell the difference
Spring is in the air, and with more states opening back up after some COVID-19 “stay-at-home” orders are being lifted, people are noticing it – not based off the aesthetic appeal of spring time, but the seemingly ever-present pollen floating around.
But how can you tell if it’s allergies that are tickling your nose and throat and not something more grave?
Dr. Alison Humphrey, an allergy and immunology specialist at the Texas Children’s Specialty Care Center, weighed in on the subject with KXAN and said that the key factor between telling the difference between allergies and possible coronavirus is itchiness.
“Itchy eyes, nose and sneezing are signs of an allergy,” Humphrey said to KXAN. Symptoms like fever, body aches, fatigue, coughing and shortness of breath probably indicate it‘s a virus and not the typical allergies everyone tends to deal with around this time of year.
Dr. Marc Goldstein, a Curist medical advisor, says that another key factor is a fever.
“One of the biggest differentiators is fever,” he wrote on Curistrelief.com. “Though some people refer to spring allergies as ‘hay fever’, people with spring allergies do not typically have fevers or achiness. In comparison, fever is common with coronavirus. The other is itchiness – people with allergies are often itchy, but this is not a reported symptom of COVID-19.”
Especially with people venturing out without masks on to protect themselves and others, people have been confusing their bodies reacting to spring bloom for the virus.
Family Allergy & Asthma listed the common symptoms for both.
Symptoms of COVID-19 (which may appear 2-14 days after exposure):
Fever
Shortness of breath
Cough
Symptoms of Allergies:
Runny or stuffy nose
Watery and itchy eyes
Itchy sinuses, throat, or ear canals
Postnasal drainage
Ear congestion
While headaches, shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing can be symptoms of allergies, they are considered less common, according to Family Allergy & Asthma.
Doctors have been encouraging people to wear masks in public, even if you are absolutely certain that it’s allergies.
“Just because, you know if you’re sneezing and coughing, even if it’s from allergies, it’s possible that you could be spreading a little bit of COVID that you may not know or you could be asymptomatic,” Dr. Humphrey said, according to KXAN.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Is it coronavirus or allergies? Experts offer tips to help you tell the difference."