Is Sneezing a Symptom of Coronavirus? What to Know About Allergies During the Pandemic

With fall allergies colliding with a global pandemic, some are questioning whether their symptoms are simply pollen in the air or something more.

Last month, Illinois' top public health official warned that people should take notice of any potential coronavirus symptoms as they could be confused with seasonal allergies.

"I keep hearing from my contact tracers at the local health departments that they're hearing the same story over and over: 'I had no idea that I was positive. The symptoms I had I thought were allergy symptoms. I never would have thought it was COVID,'" Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.

Seasonal allergies can sometimes bring with them a cough and runny nose - both of which can be associated with some coronavirus cases - but they also bring itchy or watery eyes and sneezing, symptoms that are uncommon in coronavirus patients.

“With coronavirus symptoms, very frequently, they’ll come on with fevers. If you have a fever, it’s not going to be allergies,” Sandra Hong, MD, an allergist at Cleveland Clinic said in a recent video. “If you have diarrhea, that’s also not allergies. That’s something completely different.”

Cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue and loss of taste and smell are all coronavirus symptoms, but they’re also common in people with allergies, Hong said, adding that itchy or watery eyes, nose, throat and ears is likely allergy-related.

For most people, coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple weeks. For others, it may cause no symptoms at all. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

“Typically with coronavirus, the symptoms will last for a couple weeks, they can sometimes be lingering, but typically not like allergies where they can be months on end, a whole season," Hong said.

Still, health officials say you shouldn't ignore your symptoms and should pay close attention.

"So please don't overlook those allergy-like symptoms," Ezike said. "COVID can look like so many things."

According to the CDC, the list of coronavirus symptoms includes:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea