As summer approaches, many people are struggling with spring allergies. And as new variants of the coronavirus spread, experts say the number of infections could soon rise. Wastewater Data This suggests that the number of COVID-19 cases is quite low at this point.
It can be hard to tell whether you’re experiencing seasonal allergies, early symptoms of coronavirus, or just a cold.
The clearest way to get an answer is to get a COVID-19 test. But rapid at-home tests have become harder to come by since the public health emergency ended. Here are some other tips to help you pinpoint the source of your suffering:
Watch for Certain Symptoms
For some people, the third time they get infected with COVID-19, it gets worse than the first two, for example, but for most people, the more immunity they build up through reinfection, vaccination, or both, the milder the COVID-19 symptoms tend to become.
“For most people, the sneezing and stuffy nose are exactly the symptoms of an allergy,” says Dr. Davey Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Diego.
High fevers are rare in people with allergies, but if your temperature is above 100.4 degrees, it’s likely a sign of COVID-19 or another viral infection, said Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist at NYU Langone Health.
The coronavirus can also cause stomach upset, leading to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that aren’t typically caused by allergies, and people with the coronavirus also often experience body aches, unlike those with seasonal allergies, said Dr. Lily Pien, an allergist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Allergies tend to cause itching, so if you’re scratching your eyes, ears, or throat, it’s much less likely to be COVID-19. Another key difference is that allergies cause “dry” symptoms, so an allergy-related cough doesn’t usually produce mucus, Dr. Parikh said.
Both allergies and viral infections can be debilitating, but with COVID-19, fatigue hits you more suddenly, Dr. Parikh said. “It’s not like, ‘I’m kind of tired, I need to take a nap,'” he said. “It’s usually a very debilitating symptom.”
Time and context matter
Obviously, if you spent time with someone who later tested positive and started sneezing nonstop, there’s a good chance you, too, had coronavirus. On the other hand, if you develop allergy symptoms every spring and start sniffling every time the trees start to bloom, you can be pretty sure that allergies are the cause of your discomfort.
But people who didn’t previously have allergy symptoms can suddenly “catch up,” Dr. Pien says. Moving to a new place can also expose you to new pollen or a longer growing season, which can trigger an allergic reaction.
Doctors advised paying attention to how long you feel sick: “If your runny nose lasts for weeks, it’s likely allergies,” said Dr. Paul Sachs, clinical director of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. (Though even outside of “long Covid,” Covid can make you feel sick for weeks.)
Also, see if allergy medications like antihistamines or nasal steroid sprays relieve your symptoms – if they do, allergies may be the cause.
Still, doctors stressed that testing is the only sure way to pinpoint the cause of the symptoms.
“I’ve been fooled,” Dr Parikh said, “and some of my patients have the exact same symptoms until they get a COVID-19 test.”
