Symptoms from the new omicron variant’s subvariant — named the BA.2 variant — might be mistaken for spring allergies, experts recently told CBS News.
Why it matters: The coronavirus pandemic has hit a lull period in the United States. As spring emerges, the new coronavirus variant symptoms might be mistaken for simple spring allergies.
Driving the news: Dr. Celine Gounder, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told CBS News that you can’t tell the difference between seasonal allergies and COVID-19.
- “You need to take a test,” she said.
Symptoms: Gounder said specific symptoms such as the sniffles, a cough or a stuffy nose could all be from COVID-19, the flu or seasonal allergies.
- “So you have those symptoms, just take a test,” she said.
The bigger picture: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently shared a chart that explained how to tell the difference between COVID-19 and seasonal allergies.
The CDC chart said the following symptoms are from COVID-19:
- Fever or chills.
- Cough.
- Body aches.
- Headaches.
- Tiredness.
- Loss of taste or smell.
- Shortness of breath.
- Sore throat.
- Sneezing.
- Itchy or watery eyes.
- Runny or stuffy nose.
Meanwhile, allergy symptoms often include:
- Cough.
- Headaches.
- Tiredness.
- Sore throat.
- Sneezing.
- Itchy or watery eyes.
- Runny or stuffy nose.