Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, people around the globe have been in constant panic mode. We all know that COVID-19 is a deadly virus that can be easily spread with a mere sneeze. This has resulted in quite a debate, i.e., whether it is a common flu, allergy, or COVID-19. This is primarily because the symptoms of COVID-19 in the initial stages closely resemble those of an allergy or common flu.
The way to differentiate between symptoms of COVID-19 and allergies is quite simple and straightforward. Read this blog to understand the variations between the two conditions, which mainly affect the respiratory tract.
How Does Someone Acquire An Allergy?
Allergies are the defense response of the body’s immune system towards a foreign substance that does not agree with an individual. Some people tend to counter strongly to pollen, dust, animal hair, foods, and so forth than many other people. This instigates an allergic reaction in the body. Allergies hence have many causes and are not contagious in comparison to COVID-19.
Symptoms Of Allergies:
The most common symptoms include:
- Itching in eyes and nose
- Nasal congestion
- Sneezing often
- Sore throat
- Coughing
Allergies do not usually cause body pain or lung complications. Symptoms are often chronic and could last for weeks or even months, depending on how often one is exposed to the irritant.
How Does Someone Contract COVID-19?
COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease, meaning it can spread at a rather quick rate from an affected person to a healthy individual. The virus is transmitted by means of air droplets when a contaminated person comes in direct contact with others or when a normal individual touches a surface encountered by an infected person.
Symptoms OF COVID-19:
- High fever
- Incessant coughing
- Breathing difficult
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Loss of sense of taste and smell in some instances
Unlike an allergy, wherein a person always displays prominent indications depending upon the underlying factors, COVID-19 can develop in a person, either with obvious signs exhibited even after 14 days of infection or without any noticeable symptoms, i.e., asymptomatic cases. Therefore, it becomes important to get a COVID test in Wayne for the best possible treatment.
Although both COVID-19 and the flu are contagious illnesses that affect the respiratory tract and is triggered by a virus, there are certain differences:
- While symptoms like cough, sore throat, muscle pain, fever, and fatigue occur in both COVID-19 and the flu, a loss of smell, anosmia, and taste, ageusia happens very often only in COVID-19.
- A common set of severe complications can arise from COVID-19 and the flu, such as pneumonia, the collapse of lung functions, and heart failure, but only COVID-19 instigates multiple blood clots to form in the arteries, veins of the heart, lungs, and brain.
- Flu symptoms begin to display prominently 1-4 days after infection, whereas in the case of COVID-19, the major indication shows up 5-6 days after the infection; sometimes, it takes up to 14 days.
Summing Up:
It is always advised that you visit a reliable Wayne MI hospital for COVID testing. In this case, you can consider visiting Garden City Urgent Cares. With them, you never have to worry about prior appointments as they offer on-site COVID testing without any delay.
