With an increasing number of recent coronavirus cases in the United States, panic has set in once again for most Americans. The constant worry and stress about catching COVID-19 can make you panic after experiencing the subtlest tickle in your throat or nasal drip. Since COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, can be life threatening, this fear is understandable.
According to scientific research and testing statistics, most people who contract COVID-19 experience a mild version with little to no symptoms. What makes coronavirus tricky to self-diagnose is the fact that many symptoms overlap with symptoms of the common cold, flu, and allergies. If you have a runny nose or itchy eyes, you may not have COVID-19. If you have a cough and fever accompanied by fatigue, you may have COVID-19. Take a gander at the chart below to find out the difference between COVID-19 symptoms and related symptoms of other conditions.
Key Symptoms Of COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have put together a list of 11 primary symptoms of COVID-19. It’s also possible for people who become infected to remain asymptomatic. The primary symptoms are as follows:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fever or chills
- Muscle or body aches
- Fatigue
- Congestion
- Sore throat
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Nausea or vomiting
COVID-19 Compared To Other Common Conditions
| Symptom | COVID-19 | Common Cold | Flu | Allergies |
| Fever | Common | Rare | Common | Sometimes |
| Dry Cough | Common | Mild | Common | Sometimes |
| Loss of smell and taste | Sometimes | Common | Common | Common |
| Shortness of breath | Sometimes | X | X | Common |
| Headaches | Sometimes | Rare | Common | Sometimes |
| Muscle and body aches | Sometimes | Mild | Common | X |
| Sore throat | Sometimes | Common | Sometimes | X |
| Sneezing | X | Common | Sometimes | Common |
| Fatigue | Sometimes | Sometimes | Common | Sometimes |
| Diarrhea and vomiting | Sometimes | X | Sometimes | X |
| Runny nose | Rare | Common | Sometimes | Common |
| Chills or repeated shaking | Sometimes | Rare | Common | X |
| Swollen toes | Rare | X | X | X |
What If You’re Sneezing?
According to health experts, you probably don’t have COVID-19 if you are sneezing. Runny nose and sneezing are more closely related to colds or allergies. Research highlights that only 4.8% of coronavirus cases experience congestion. The WHO report of 56,000 Chinese patients found that 87.9% of cases included fever, 67.7% of cases had dry cough, and 38.1% of cases had fatigue.
Despite the overlap of symptoms, COVID-19 is not the flu, common cold, or allergies. Ultimately, the only way to confirm whether or not you have COVID-19 is to take a test. Most cities offer free testing in the form or nasal or throat swabs. It is important that you should only go get tested if you really feel that you have a combination of COVID-19 symptoms.
