It’s not just the coronavirus we’re all worrying about. It’s also the flu and allergies. Just to put it into perspective, the pollen count on Friday was at least four times higher than the day before. But how do you know the difference between COVID-19 and the flu or seasonal allergies? When you compare the symptons, it can be confusing.
I was driving around on Saturday and started thinking about how bad I felt. My head was hurting. My throat was scratchy. My eyes were watering. I did what I think a lot of us are doing - I started to worry that I was showing signs of having coronavirus. As soon as I got home, I started doing some research. Here's what I found:
CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS
Symptoms can present 2-14 days after exposure
Shortness of breath
Dry cough
FEVER
FLU SYMPTOMS
Cough
Body aches
Sore throat
Fatigue
Headache
Muscle aches
Runny or stuffy nose
FEVER
ALLERGY SYMPTOMS
Sneezing
Coughing
Watery eyes
Itchy or scratchy throat
Itchy or watery eyes
NO FEVER
It all boils down to a fever. If you’re feeling run down or have a scratchy throat, but don’t have a fever…don’t panic that you have coronavirus. It very well could be allergies.
Hopefully this will bring you a little bit of relief if you start to worry. Also, remember these facts about coronavirus:
- People that are 60-years-old and older with underlying health issues are the ones who have the most severe symptoms.
- The average age for death from coronavirus is 80-years-old.
- 80% of coronavirus cases are mild.
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