The difference between allergy and COVID-19 symptoms

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - The summer allergy season is coming to an end, but for some fall allergies are just getting started. Prevea Health Allergist, Doctor Dylan Timberlake says knowing the difference and red flags for symptoms that can’t be attributed to allergies is important.

“What can really point you from a true symptom standpoint is allergies should never have a fever that goes along with it,” Timberlake says.

Timberlake says outside of the eyes and nose area if you’re experiencing other symptoms it may point to COVID-19 or another viral illness.

“Allergies should really not have any other symptoms, so you shouldn’t get nausea or vomiting that could go with it,” Timberlake said.

Timberlake says another red flag it may not be allergies is if you take over-the-counter allergy medicine and it doesn’t relieve your symptoms.

“If it’s not getting better at all, that could be more of an infection,” Timberlake said.

Having a dulled sense of smell and taste can happen to chronic allergy sufferers, but if it is a new symptom or there’s a total loss, Timberlake says to you should get tested.

“If you didn’t have those symptoms or a runny nose for a long time and then suddenly, you’re losing your sense of smell, sense of taste, those things would be more concerning for me as COVID if it’s more of a new-onset,” Timberlake said.

Timberlake says people can develop new allergies and says indoor allergens can trigger symptoms. He says if you’re unsure it is allergies, COVID, or another illness, to get tested and seek medical help.

“I think what really needs to be out there is if there’s even a question in your mind is these allergies or maybe, possibly something else, go ahead and get tested,” Timberlake said. “There are resources to do that. We need to find that out to keep everyone else safe as well. So I would say unless you know for sure it’s allergies and you’ve had a negative test don’t blame your new symptoms on allergies.”

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