By Veronica Beltran

allergies or COVID-19

TYH: Seasonal Allergies or COVID-19

Mar 24, 2020 | 8:31 AM

Allergy season is here! I’ve suffered from seasonal allergies for as long as I can remember.

I would try to ice my eyeballs with an ice pack to try and minimize the itch I felt, the itch that would make me uncontrollably scratch the windows to my body.

This year though…I thought that it might be possible to accidentally mistake allergies for COVID-19. So I went down to Third Ave. Pharmacy to clear things up.

Patrick Dinelle, a Pharmacist at Third Ave. Pharmacy told us that the symptoms could be mistaken, but are in fact different.

“We can get (a) runny stuffy nose (with allergies), that’s not going to be COVID-19, which is typically a cough and a fever and severe respiratory issues.”—Patrick Dinelle, Pharmacist

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He also mentions that if you have any questions surrounding symptoms to give your local pharmacist a call.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology more than 50 million American suffer from allergies each year.

Seasonal allergies usually start up during the spring season and can continue straight into the fall.

“During spring with our thaw, Hay fever, allergies to pollen, various trees and plants outside could all affect different people in different ways.”—Patrick Dinelle, Pharmacist

The Mayo clinic suggests staying indoors on dry, windy days if you do struggle with seasonal allergies, as well as removing the clothes you’ve worn outside and showering to rinse pollen from your skin or hair.

Dinelle says there are ways to help mitigate allergies such as taking antihistamines before your allergies start to help reduce symptoms. “At home, close your windows, don’t use fans and stay inside as much as you can during the beginning of the season,” said Dinelle.