This year has really been a rough and unusual one; you can’t even cough or sneeze in peace without been suspected of having COVID-19. This virus has even shut down many of the largest economies in the world and left many families in pain. In past time’s, having an allergic reaction was totally normal but in this era of COVID-19 pandemic, that is no longer the case. If your reactions are similar to COVID-19 symptoms; you are immediately a suspect. Your family members, friends and even you may begin to suspect you have the virus and this can lead to stigma.
Because of this, I have written this article to show you how to spot the difference between Allergies and Coronavirus.
Allergic reactions sometimes have the same symptoms as Coronavirus but there are some things that differentiate them. When you have allergies; sometimes you experience itchy eyes, itchy ears, itchy throat and more, but you don’t ideally experience fever, sore throat and achiness. These symptoms are associated with Coronavirus.
Differences between Coronavirus and allergies
The major difference between Coronavirus and allergies is that allergic reactions don’t usually come with a fever. Instead, you suffer other relations like itchy throat, itchy eyes, itchy ears and some other reactions.
Another confusing symptom is sneezing. Sneezing can be as a result of allergy or as a result of coronavirus but there is a difference. Sneezing which comes as a result of coronavirus is usually associated with fever and other Coronavirus symptoms like a cough but those that result from allergies usually occur alone; there is absolutely no fever, no cough and nothing like that. All you experience is sneezing, and maybe some other allergic reactions like itchy throat and itchy throat cough. Honestly speaking, itchy throat allergies which don’t come with fever is a major symptom of allergies and not Coronavirus.
Sneezing which is associated with Corona virus usually persists but those that result from allergies don’t.
Another allergic reaction which happens to be a symptom of Corona virus is cough. You better not have this reaction now if you can’t differentiate between the type associated with allergies and Corona virus.
Itchy throat cough is the major sign that it is just a cough and not a symptom of Corona virus. Cough that is associated with Corona virus is usually persistent, but it does not occur along with itches. Instead, you find it expressing itself along with other symptoms like fever and sneezing.
One other common allergy is itchy eyes. Itchy eyes don’t ever result from Coronavirus. If you are experiencing this, especially with other allergies like; itchy throat, itchy throat cough, sneezing and more it is just an allergy. Itchy eyes usually come along with water/tears, and please note that tearing is not a symptom of Coronavirus. This means that if you are experiencing this, you don’t have Coronavirus but just normal allergies.
The type of cough you should watch out for is dry persistent non-itchy cough. This is the type of cough associated with Coronavirus also known as COVID-19. This cough comes without warning and doesn’t go away, even when you take drugs. After the cough begins, in no time, you will start sneezing and experiencing a fever. This type of fever doesn’t go after you take drugs instead they become worse; not because of the drug but because the virus is multiplying in your body.
One other symptom of Coronavirus is difficulty in breathing; this is one of the major symptoms of Coronavirus. Difficulty in breathing is never associated with common allergy. You may only have an allergic reaction like this if you are reacting to something like a drug. This means that if you were taking a drug when you started experiencing this make sure to contact your doctor because it might be an allergy or a sign of COVID-19.
Itchy throat cough is very similar to the type of cough you get from Corona virus but this time it itches. When you cough or even when you are not coughing and you are experiencing this type of allergy; your throat itches. But in Corona virus your throat never Itches, instead, the cough is persistent.
Common signs of allergy
- Itchy throat cough
- Itchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Itchy ears
- Itchy nose
- Watery eyes
- Dry cough
- Running nose
- High fever
Common symptoms of Corona virus (COVID-19)
- Fever
- Dry cough without itches
- Sneezing
- Difficulty breathing
- Shortness of breath
- Body ache
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
Red eyes are a major symptom of allergy and not Coronavirus. There is about a 3% chance that a red eye is due to Coronavirus and a 97% chance that it is just an allergy. This means that if you have pink-eyed eyes, there is a 97% chance that there is nothing to worry about. However, I will still advice you do a COVID-19 test because of the 3% change.
If you notice certain changes in your body and you are sure you have allergies and not COVID-19 I advice you stay away from people to avoid stigma. Believe me, 90% of individuals won’t believe you; if you tell them your symptoms are just allergies, instead; they will write you off as a Coronavirus patient. So if you have to buy drugs for your allergies ask someone else to do it for you; don’t go to the pharmacy yourself to avoid rejection.
Note that before you write any symptom off as an allergy; always get yourself tested for COVID-19 because you never know; it might just be the virus.
In summary, itchy throat and itchy throat cough are not symptoms of Coronavirus but symptoms of normal allergies.
