Our Parish Nurse, Ann Yeo, has heard people ask “How do I know if I’m experiencing symptoms of Coronavirus or something else instead?” She’s found a handy article that helps us to tell the difference. With thanks to the author – Sean Drake MD, an internal medicine physician with the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan – Ann has extracted and quoted his essential points below. You can read the entire article here.

COVID-19: “COVID-19 is a lower-respiratory tract infection,” says Dr. Drake. “It doesn’t include many nasal symptoms. You could have deeper coughs, shortness of breath, a high-spiking fever of 102 or 103 degrees Fahrenheit, body aches, a decreased appetite, and sometimes nausea or vomiting. Dry coughs are common with COVID-19, meaning you won’t produce lots of phlegm when you cough.”

THE FLU: “Influenza and COVID-19 share a lot of the same symptoms,” says Dr. Drake. “Clinically, they’re fairly similar, with a high-spiking fever and body aches. Fatigue can happen in both the flu and COVID-19, but it may be a bit more common with the flu. And with influenza, you may have more congestion than with COVID-19.”

THE COMMON COLD: “With a cold, you could have a moderate temperature of about 100 or 101 degrees Fahrenheit, along with sinus congestion and drainage that’s yellow or green colored, and a sore throat,” he says.

ALLERGIES: “Symptoms of allergies typically consist of a stuffy nose, runny eyes, stuffed up ears,” says Dr. Drake. “You might have a little cough, clear drainage, and sneezing. Pain pressure around the sinuses and eyes is also common. If you have the same symptoms this March as you had last March, it’s probably not COVID-19, it’s probably allergies. A fever usually doesn’t occur alongside allergies, either.”

If you are concerned about worsening symptoms, call your primary care provider’s office for advice, of course.

-Ann Yeo, RN, MSN, Certified Holistic Nurse