Fall has begun: How to differentiate Covid symptoms from a cold or allergy?

 

The doctor Pablo Scherbovsky, pulmonologist, director of the Scherbovsky Foundation explained the difference between an allergy or a cold and covid symptoms. He affirmed that at the time these questions frequently and recurrently arise, especially by the boys who returned to classes.

Scherbovsky clarified that in medicine it is important to bear in mind that one plus one is never two, since we are talking about a science that is not exact and can vary. "I'm going to have general rules or approximations," he explained, "regardless of whether someone may have an exception."

Covid versus allergy

"Allergies occur at the same time, autumn or spring, and are not accompanied by fever. There is sneezing and itching of the palate, the eyes, the nose and transparent water usually falls from the nose," explained the pulmonologist. On the contrary, "in covid the symptoms are usually general body discomfort, fever, muscle pain, back pain, joint pain, headache and loss of smell and taste. In more severe cases there is a dry cough or shortness of breath , which is when there is pneumonia ", he completed.

Scherbovsky commented that "now there is also movement of people, school and 'overcrowding', because there are people living in the same space with closed doors and windows, other viruses may begin to circulate that does not have to be the coronavirus."

In any case, the specialist clarified that "the line is weak, especially due to health policies. If a parent sends their children to school when they have snot and a cold or sneeze and that just that case is different and then they have positivity for covid, social lynching happens, because the first thing a person is asked is 'where did you catch it', as if it were on purpose ". "So it is a sensitive issue and it takes us to the other extreme: cutting classes due to an allergy. A balance is necessary and that is why the tests are good."

Frequent questions

When to isolate myself?

"If I have symptoms, isolation is immediate because if you have symptoms you are contagious," said the pulmonologist bluntly.

When to do the swab?

"It depends on the type of test. The famous PCR can be done from the day you had symptoms. The antigen works more like evatest, it gives positive or negative if there is a protein present in the nasal passages and in the throat, it is better to 48 or 72 hours after the symptoms started. Without symptoms, this test has less sensitivity, "Scherbovsky clarified.

When do I notify my close contacts?

"One hardly has suspicious symptoms of covid. Otherwise, not isolating oneself and not warning co-workers is a lack of social responsibility," he concluded.