Allergy symptoms can be debilitating: itchy, red, watery eyes; sneezing; runny nose and sometimes, coughing. This year, the coronavirus adds a layer of unease to the seasonal annoyance, especially in areas such as Washington, D.C., where pollen counts are already at moderate to high levels.
With fear rising in tandem with the number of cases of covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, doctors worry allergy sufferers will conflate their routine reactions to pollen with coronavirus symptoms and overwhelm an already-strained health care system with panicked visits.
“It can be confusing, and it’s important to differentiate. If it’s viral, every time you cough, you’re spreading droplets within a six-feet radius” that can infect others, said Sally Joo Bailey, an allergist at Allergy Associates of Northern Virginia in Arlington and the past president of the Greater Washington Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Society. Allergies, on the other hand, are not contagious.
Because of warmer temperatures, allergy season started in February this year instead of March, Bailey said, so Washington-area residents are already exhibiting symptoms. Data show that some people infected with the coronavirus experience similar symptoms, such as coughing, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat.