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stuffy nose? fatigue? probably not covid-19

itchy eyes, congestion and sneezing are most likely not covid-19.

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anything can feel like covid-19 these days.
while the classic symptoms of the novel coronavirus are fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, as allergy season begins and more people start feeling stuffed up and have more trouble breathing, it’s easy to feel a little anxious.

although the symptoms and immune system reactions are different, it can be easy to confuse the two. so how do you know if your sniffles are signs of covid-19 or just seasonal allergies? we asked dr. harold kim, president of the canadian society of allergy and clinical immunology(casci).

is it covid-19 or allergies?

if you typically have seasonal allergies, you’ll know the symptoms that show up around this time of year, ever year. nasal congestion (stuffy and runny nose), sneezing, and itchy watery eyes. if itchiness extends to the nose or back of throat, it’s most likely allergies.
“if you take a non-sedative, over-the-counter antihistamine and your symptoms improve, it would point to allergy as opposed to covid,” says kim.
fever is one of the most common signs of covid-19, with a dry cough and shortness of breath. allergy is not linked with fever, so if you have a fever, it’s likely not due to allergy, says kim. it may be hard to differentiate asthma from covid-19 because both involve coughing and shortness of breath. if you have a history of asthma, monitor your symptoms if this time is different than what it normally feels like.

one overlapping symptom could be the decreased sense of smell. anosmia, the sudden loss of smell, has been reported as a common marker of covid-19 and if your nose is congested from allergies, it will also be hard to smell anything. you can differentiate this by the mucus fluid. covid-19 patients who’ve lost their sense of smell reported no nasal obstruction or rhinorrhea (runny nose), whereas people with allergies will likely have runny nose. 

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how to avoid transmission through sneezing, eye rubbing

covid-19 is spread through droplets and can be transmitted through the mouth, nose, and eyes. as itchy as your eyes get, avoid rubbing them with your fingers. eye drops can help alleviate the discomfort and kim recommends taking a non-sedating antihistamine allergy medication to treat symptoms.

with sneezing, nasal discharge will go further than normal breathing. consider wearing a mask when you’re out of the house,” says kim. “it’s possible that wearing a mask may help a bit in terms of stopping nasal discharge from sneezing from going further.”

if you don’t have a mask, kim recommends people with allergies have tissues handy to prevent droplet transmission. sneeze into the tissue, immediately dispose of it, and clean your hands with hand sanitizer right away. if you’re near others and feel a sneeze coming on, try to keep away from them to prevent getting nasal discharge on them.

because it’s pollen season, kim recommends keeping windows closed at home to keep the outdoor pollen from coming indoors and use air conditioning instead.

what if others think i have covid-19 when it’s just allergies?

people might avoid you if you start sneezing, but they should know sneezing is not a symptom of covid-19. 

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“it’s [all the] more reason for people with allergies to treat their symptoms with antihistamines,” says kim. nasal steroid sprays can also help, but there has been concern that using steroids with make it harder for your body to clear the virus.
if you’re worried about going outside, see if your local pharmacy delivers or ask for help from friends, family members, or volunteers in your community if they can pick up a non-sedated antihistamine and drop it off at your home.
“i think if patients really need nasal sprays, it’s reasonable to use it. it’s not wrong to double the dose of antihistamines either, we often use more than one tablet for a day.”

if you have allergies, the best thing you can do is stay indoors — something we’re already doing anyway.

diana duong is an editor and writer at healthing. find her on twitter @dianaduo.
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