Springtime is here again — and that means there might be some allergies on the horizon. In fact, local reports from Florida and North Carolina suggest people are already feeling allergy symptoms as the spring returns.

How to tell the difference

Back in August 2020, the National Jewish Health website released a breakdown of symptoms to help people understand if they have allergies, the common cold, influenza or COVID-19.

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The list of allergy symptoms included:

  • Symptoms begin gradually
  • Symptoms last during allergy season
  • Dry cough
  • Headaches
  • Itchy eyes
  • Nasal congestion
  • Runny nose
  • Sneeze
  • Sometimes fatigue and weakness
  • Sometimes loss of taste or smell
  • Sometimes sore throat
  • Sometimes shortness of breath

We know a little more about COVID-19 symptoms now. Here’s an official list of COVID-19 symptoms based on Google’s information.

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Can you stop allergies?

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Dr. Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, senior director of infection prevention at the Johns Hopkins Health Systems in Baltimore, Maryland, wrote back in fall 2020 that you can’t escape season allergies, either.

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  • “Unfortunately, the short answer is, you can’t,” she wrote. “If you come down with any kind of illness, the best thing to do is call your doctor, explain your symptoms and self-quarantine until you know what’s going on.”
  • “Because some coronavirus symptoms are similar to those of bronchitis, the common cold, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), this year it is likely that a test will be necessary to tell the difference,” she wrote.
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