Allergies or COVID-19? Know the difference
Feeling congested? Think allergies, not COVID.
The virus shares very few symptoms with seasonal allergies aggravated this time of year by the trees and flowers blossoming.
Allergy symptoms include itchy eyes, congestion, and sneezing, none of which are common to COVID-19.
“Sneezing has nothing to do with COVID,” said Dr. Kurt Garren, an ear, nose, and throat doctor in Dover and Millersburg. “The biggest thing we tell patients is one: allergies come and go. The pollen count goes up, allergies go up. You’re not going to have fever and chills with allergies.”
A warm dry spring combined with early blooming trees and plants has led to lots of airborne pollen, making this season a rough one, said Dr. Christopher Stetler, a family physician with Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital and medical director of Mercy Professional Care Corp.
What is the difference between allergy and COVID-19 symptoms?
The main symptoms of allergies are itchy eyes, congestion, and headaches, according to Dr. Robert Leininger, an infectious disease physician with Wooster Community Hospital.
When the body comes in contact with a foreign object, like pollen, it creates
antibodies. With an allergen, the body responds by swelling and releasing histamines that cause blood vessels to dilate, according to Stetler. Histamine causes common allergy symptoms.
Someone infected with COVID-19 is more likely to experience a cough, fever, shortness of breath, and a change or loss of taste and smell. Other symptoms of COVID-19 not characteristic of allergies are body aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Allergies may cause a person to experience a loss of taste or smell due to congestion, but COVID-19 can cause a complete loss that’s more severe, according to Garren. With the virus, the loss of smell and taste has a quicker onset and can also cause victims to experience a “completely abnormal smell… a weird atrocious smell.”
“We’re not 100% certain why (the virus) is doing that. It’s damaging, phantom smells,” Garren said.
People are likely to experience seasonal allergies in the spring and fall when they’re outside. Pollen counts increase with the flowers and trees in bloom in the spring and ragweed in the fall. Grasses can also cause symptoms in the summer, according to Garren.
Year-round allergies include dust, dust mites, and pet animals such as dogs and cats.
Allergy symptoms can come and go depending on the pollen count in the air. For COVID-19, Leininger said to think of worsening symptoms over a week or two and potentially lasting much longer.
Stetler also recommends face masks to prevent exposure to pollen. Allergy sufferers can avoid pollen exposure by turning on the air conditioning instead of opening house or car windows, and by using an air purifier.
Most weather apps also provide daily air quality and pollen forecasts to check before going outside.
“That should not change your risk,” Leininger said.
Garren added that studies have shown there is no evidence to suggest allergies put a person at greater risk for contracting COVID-19. Allergies can wear down a person’s immune system, but allergies don’t pose a greater risk for the virus.
How can I confirm I have allergies and not COVID-19?
Garren said individuals should compare their symptoms to the symptoms common to allergies and COVID-19. If a person is experiencing body aches or shortness of breath, they should seek medical attention or contact their family doctor, especially with severe shortness of breath.
“For allergies, there are plenty of over-the-counter, and people should get better in a day or so,” Garren said.
Stetler also recommends people use saline or nasal spray to rinse their nose and eliminate some of the pollen stuck inside.
Leininger encourages everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“We have good info on how effective these vaccines are in the general population. If you are fully vaccinated, two weeks after receiving the final dose, your rate of getting COVID is extremely, extremely low especially for the most severe symptoms,” Leininger said.