Is It Allergies or Coronavirus?
What you need to know when the slightest sniffle can be more frightening than ever
Every year about this time, cold and flu season starts to wind down just as seasonal allergies begin ramping up, starting in warmer regions and moving northward as spring unfolds. People with pollen allergies — about 8% of U.S. adults — go through a yearly ritual of being unsure what they’ve got until several boxes of empty tissues and red, itchy eyes bring on the aha moment.
But this year, Covid-19 adds another confounding mix of symptoms to wonder and worry about. Among the differences that can help a person figure out what they might have: Allergies tend to bring the same symptoms every year, and they’re atypical for Covid-19 — runny nose and sneezing along with itchy eyes, nose, and throat. While coughing is a common symptom of moderate to severe Covid-19 cases, sneezing is not common (a study of early cases in China found nasal congestion in just 4.8% of diagnosed cases).
Dr. Robert Salata, a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University who is seeing Covid-19 patients at the university hospital, said he has seen “some but a small percentage” of cases involving sneezing.
“People typically are familiar with their seasonal allergy symptoms, so it’s unlikely you…
