Allergies or COVID-19? Niagara public health says get tested

Some novel coronavirus symptoms are similar to those of allergic reactions

Is it seasonal allergies or COVID-19?

Niagara Region Public Health says if you’re not sure, it’s best to get tested.

Some mild symptoms of infection such as runny noses and congestion are similar to the springtime allergies people are dealing with now.

Dr. Mustafa Hirji, acting medical officer of health for Niagara, said it really comes down to people knowing what it’s like for themselves at this time every year.

“If they are always feeling these sorts of symptoms every year and it doesn’t feel any different than what they would expect to feel at that time of the year, chances are it’s simply an allergy,” he said.

“If it’s a little bit different, a little bit worse, if there’s some new symptoms that they usually don’t feel, that’s when we become a little more concerned.”

He said it’s even more concerning if people with symptoms know they have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.

“Ultimately, if someone’s unsure, our recommendation is you might as well get tested and be sure,” Hirji said.

“We do know that 97 per cent

of people who are getting tested are testing negative in Niagara. Obviously, there’s lot of things that people experience that could be COVID which usually aren’t COVID, but we don’t want to miss any of the ones that are.”

Identifying as many people as possible who have COVID-19 will help limit the spread.

Public health reported five new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. One of those cases is a person linked to previously known cases of COVID-19. It’s now believed the new person may have been ill first, before those other cases were identified as community transmissions.

“It’s an interesting example of some of the puzzle pieces coming together sometimes,” Hirji said.

It’s also another example of why public health wants people to get tested.

Hirji said some people with symptoms get concerned and reach out to their health-care provider or public health right away. Others wait a few days thinking it’s nothing or it will go away and then begrudgingly go and get tested.

“The quicker we can know if someone is infected with COVID-19, we can isolate them, figure out their contacts and isolate them, so we stop any further spread of infection.”

Of Niagara’s new COVID-19 cases, two were community transmissions. That includes the case being linked to previous cases and another case captured from mass testing in long-term-care homes. Two other new cases were contacts of previously known cases and one has an unknown source still being determined.

The new cases brought the number of Niagara’s historic cases to 620.

The number of active cases in Niagara was down to 104 and the number of cases of people recovered increased to 458.

There have been 58 deaths.

Another COVID-19 outbreak was declared over Wednesday afternoon.

Niagara Health announced the outbreak in the intensive care unit at St. Catharines hospital has ended. That outbreak was declared May 7 after a health-care worker tested positive. The end of the outbreak means the unit hasn’t had a new COVID-19 case or found evidence of further transmission after 14 days. It’s the second outbreak in the region that was declared over in as many days. On Tuesday, an outbreak at Seasons Retirement Community in Welland that had been ongoing since March ended.

There are still outbreaks at seven long-term-care and retirement homes in Niagara, as well as at two in-patient units at Greater Niagara General Hospital in Niagara Falls.

Fort Erie Regional Child Care Centre was closed Tuesday due to an outbreak.