It’s late May, the birds are singing and the flowers are in bloom… and you have a sneezy, stuffy nose. Is it allergies, a cold, or – perish the thought – SARS-CoV-2.
Nowadays it can be downright difficult – even for a physician – to distinguish between seasonal allergy symptoms, early signs of Covid-19, and the common cold.
On the off chance that it is Covid – odd because we still appear to be in a lull between waves – the easiest way to determine this is by taking an at-home Covid test. Like the taglines in commercials for Golden Blossom Honey say, those test kits are back there somewhere in your cupboard.
If you don’t have a test kit available, here are some clues to watch out for.
People with allergy symptoms rarely develop high fevers so consult your physician if your body temperature goes above 100.4° F (38° C). That could indicate it’s SARS-CoV-2 or that something else is going on in your body. The same thing goes for severe gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
In addition, individuals with Covid often develop body aches, something that sometimes accompanies colds but almost never accompanies allergies.
What people who are suffering do frequently develop, however, is itchiness. If a person’s eyes, nose, or throat are itchy, or is scratching his ears a bit, and there are no other symptoms besides the stuffy nose, it likely is allergies. (Just as I write this, somehow, perhaps magically, our in-house corporate counsel rang and told me I need to remind readers that I am not a physician and nothing I say should be construed as either the practice of medicine or furnishing of patient advice.)
Regardless of what these sniffles may be, to safeguard those around you, consider donning an N95 or equivalent face mask when symptomatic. An ounce of masking is worth a pound of Paxlovid.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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