With the spring allergy season upon us it may be difficult for some to distinguish between those symptoms and those of COVID-19.

Ann Cochran, Health Navigator for the Dallas County Health Department, says many of the signs of coronavirus can also be found in seasonal allergies, influenza, and even the common stomach bug. “Well that’s what makes it a little bit tricky. We’ve had multiple conversations with different folks who will report, ‘Well my nose is still a little runny,’ or ‘I still have kind of an upset stomach,’ or ‘I still have this cough.’ And typically our nurse determines if that person has been far enough out from their initial period of having COVID, we can be quite certain that they’re no longer contagious and what they might be experiencing could be those seasonal allergies. There’s certainly a lot of pollen in the air right now, and anybody who has a tendency to have the runny nose or itchy eyes and even a cough with those sorts of things, it is easy to get a little confused about, ‘What am I experiencing here?’”

Cochran says the best thing to do regarding concerns over your symptoms is to consult your primary care physician, as they will be familiar with your health background. If you do have questions regarding the signs of COVID-19, she encourages you to visit the Test Iowa website or call the information hotline at 2-1-1. For more information on the current status of the coronavirus pandemic, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.