People who suffer from seasonal allergies know all too well the discomfort of running daily errands or trying to focus on work with dry, itchy eyes, a dry cough, and irritating sneeze. These days, as the whole world waits with bated breath for a vaccine or cure for COVID-19, any respiratory symptom can create anxiety. If you’ve found yourself coughing or sneezing and are worried that you may be experiencing something more concerning than seasonal allergies, read our guidance below to familiarize yourself with the critical differences in symptoms.
If you believe that you may be suffering from COVID-19, talk to your doctor to determine if you should get tested. If you are experiencing difficulty breathing, seek immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of seasonal allergies, often caused by pollen, grass, and other outdoor irritants, often include:
While the range of symptoms of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 has been somewhat broad, the most common symptoms include:
COVID-19 symptoms commonly appear within five to 14 days after exposure to someone with the virus.
It is important to note that allergy symptoms that most closely resemble those of COVID-19 are less common. These include coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. If you do not typically experience such symptoms of your allergies, and particularly if you have been exposed to someone diagnosed as having the virus, you may want to talk to your doctor about whether or not you should receive a COVID-19 test.
BestMed has been offering COVID-19 testing to patients within our communities since March 12, 2020. We recently expanded our testing capability to include both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
Expanded testing will have the most significant impact of decreasing community spread and help flatten the curve of COVID-19 by helping identify the virus before symptoms arise. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, and believe that you are not experiencing allergies, we highly encourage you to contact one of our clinics to determine if you should be tested for COVID-19. Click here to learn more about our available testing.
If you are experiencing allergy symptoms, we offer telemedicine screening as well as in-car screenings to provide you with the care you need in a safe environment.
