With the arrival of spring a warning has been issued to hay fever sufferers to brace themselves - but some people will be struggling to tell if their symptoms come from pollen or covid.
It may be hard to remember the days of 'getting on with it' if you had a runny nose or a cough, but throughout the covid pandemic, our lives changed and despite the easing of restrictions, it is far from over. Originally, covid symptoms were specific, including a high temperature, a continuous cough and a loss of taste or smell.
But two years on, and several variants later, symptoms have changed and it can be hard to distinguish between covid, hay fever or even the common cold. With pollen counts soon to increase with the spring weather, this could be made all the more difficult.
READ MORE: Warning issued to anyone with hay fever in Liverpool
The ECHO previously reported that each area of the Liverpool City Region had recorded at least a 50% rise in weekly Covid infections. TV doctor Hilary Jones urged people not to get complacent as the UK reaches the two year anniversary of the first national lockdown, adding the pandemic is not over.
Hay fever symptoms and covid symptoms can be very similar, so the only genuine way to tell will be to take a covid test. But coronavirus symptoms are likely to be more persistent and get worse over time, compared to hay fever symptoms which can usually be eased with antihistamine medication.
Although there is no law around self-isolation, anyone with covid symptoms is still being urged to stay away from others and to get tested as soon as possible. The NHS guidance states you can infect people with covid for at least five days from when your symptoms start.
What are the symptoms of hay fever?
- sneezing and coughing
- a runny or blocked nose
- itchy, red or watery eyes
- itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- loss of sense of smell
- pain around your temples and forehead
- headache
- earache
- feeling tired
If you have asthma, you might also have a tight feeling in your chest, be short of breath and wheeze and cough. But unlike a common cold and Covid-19, hay fever can last for weeks, or even months.
What are the symptoms of covid?
- A high temperature, meaning you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
- A new, continuous cough, coughing a lot for more than an hour or three or more coughing episodes in 24-hours
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
But, according to the ZOE Covid Study, the signs of the Omicron variant include:
- Runny nose
- Headaches/body aches
- Fatigue
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Mild cough
- Nasal congestion
