Dr. Robert Ramirez |
San Antonio is in the middle of spring pollen season. This is when oak pollen covers your car in that fine yellow pollen that can make us so miserable. The combination of symptoms that this can provoke can often be confused with a cold or even strep throat. To complicate matters, we are in the middle of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To try to distinguish these from each other, we have compiled a list of symptoms from different online resources.
Allergies
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Red itchy eyes
- Itchy nose
- Tickle in the throat
- Should note provoke a fever
Cold
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Aches and pains
- Mild dry cough
- Sometimes a fever
Flu
- Fever is common
- Dry cough
- Quick onset
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Sometimes a runny nose
- Sometimes diarrhea
Strep
- Sore throat
- Painful swallowing
- Fever
New coronavirus, COVID-19
- Shortness of breath
- Fever (above 100 degrees)
- Dry cough
- Gradual onset (two to 14 days after onset)
- Sometimes headache
- Sometimes aches and pains
- Mild sneezing
- Sometimes fatigue, but it’s not predominant like the flu
- Diarrhea is rare
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