COVID-19 or allergies? Local doctor talks symptoms amid high pollen count

MIAMI VALLEY — On Monday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released numbers showing that the United States has officially recorded one million deaths from COVID-19. In some states, like Ohio, case numbers on are on the rise.

With the rise of cases, News Center 7 wanted to look closely at Covid symptoms versus allergies, as Ohioans are experiencing high pollen counts right now.

Dr. Roberto Colón, Chief Medical Officer at Miami Valley Hospital, said it’s difficult to tell the difference between the two.

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“So we look for what are the big differences between the two and there are some symptoms that you see with Covid that are almost never present with things like seasonal allergies,” Colón said.

Colón said some of those symptoms include muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

“The body feeling ill makes you think that this is not seasonal allergies,” he said.

Some symptoms that you would see with allergies opposed to Covid include itchy eyes, nose and ears.

Right now, many people in the Miami Valley may be experiencing those symptoms. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American, Dayton ranks 14th this year for the most challenging places to live with spring allergies.

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Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Kirstie Zontini said that the weather could impact the pollen count and that our recent lack of storms could create the perfect storm for those with allergies.

“When you have stretches of warm, dry and breezy days in a row, you’ll notice that ,that also partners up with some of our highest pollen. The breeze kind of helps to blow the pollen around and then the dry weather keeps it in the air, and when we’re mild or warmer than normal, sometimes that can allow things like tree pollen or grass to start spiking,” Zontini said.

If you’re not sure if your symptoms are from Covid or allergies, Colón recommends talking to your primary care provider or taking an at-home Covid test.

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