Seasonal illnesses include the cold, flu, and allergies that occur at a certain time of year. What do seasonal allergies and COVID-19 have in common? The answer is shared symptoms. How do you know that your chills, fever, cough, and body aches are symptoms of seasonal illnesses versus infection with the novel coronavirus? The frightening truth is that you may not be able to easily tell. However, you don’t have to guess if you have access to testing. Here’s a look at some useful information that could help you differentiate between COVID-19 symptoms and those of seasonal illnesses. 

Shared Symptoms of COVID-19 and Seasonal Illnesses

Some symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to seasonal illnesses, but they tend to be more severe. COVID-19 symptoms vary from person to person and range from mild to severe. After exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19, symptoms usually appear within 2 to 14 days. Symptoms of the flu tend to manifest with a sudden onset, the cold a gradual onset, and symptoms of seasonal allergies usually improve or worsen based on environmental factors. 

Fever, fatigue, coughs, aches/pain, sore throat, and headaches are some of the shared symptoms of the flu and COVID-19. Runny or stuffy nose and diarrhea are rare symptoms of COVID-19 that may sometimes appear in flu. Shortness of breath and loss of taste and smell are rare flu, cold and seasonal allergy symptoms but appear often in COVID-19.

Headache and fever are rare symptoms of the cold, but fatigue, cough, and sore throat are shared symptoms of COVID-19. Fever, fatigue, cough, and headaches are shared symptoms of Seasonal allergies and COVID-19, while aches and sore throat do not exist in patients with allergies. 

Primary Symptoms of COVID-19 and Risk Factors

Make sure to check the primary symptoms as well as risk factors to determine if you could have an infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), COVID-19 symptoms to look out for includes:

• Fever and/or chills
• Cough (usually dry)
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Tiredness/fatigue (sometimes)
• Muscle aches and pains (sometimes)
• Headaches (sometimes)
• Sore throat (sometimes)
• Chills or fever

Other possible symptoms include: 

• Loss of smell or taste
• Congestion or runny nose(uncommon)
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting

If you have further questions and need testing, then contact a nearby urgent care center for fast testing access. Your health and safety are a priority. An urgent care center may be the help that you need to determine if you have COVID-19. Call today!