I’m a pharmacist – here’s how to tell your Covid cough from a hay fever cough

IS your cough due to pollen – or could it be Covid?

Telling hay fever from the virus can be harder than you might think.

Pharmacist Phil Day, from website pharmacy2U.co.uk, helps you spot the difference by analysing your symptoms.

Runny/blocked nose

NOSE streaming or so stuffed up you can barely breathe?

We’re sorry to say that could be BOTH.

A runny or blocked nose can be a sign of hay fever and a sign of Covid.

To make matters even knottier, it could also indicate a bout of the common cold.

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Sneezing

CAN’T stop sneezing? Blame it on your hay fever.

When pollen particles floating in the air get into your nose, it can seriously irritate your nasal passages.

This is just a natural response your body has to try to expel the pollen. Bless you!

Coughing

IF you’ve got a cough, BOTH health complaints could be the cause.

A new continuous cough is a key sign of Covid, while those with hay fever tend to cough to try and shift mucus.

However, a hay fever cough is likely to be milder than a Covid one.

High temperature

FORTUNATELY a pollen allergy doesn’t tend to trigger a high temperature – handy considering hay fever season sees grass pollen out in June and July.

That means if you’re feverish with a high temperature, you may have caught Covid.

Itchy eyes

TEARING your eyes out they’re so itchy? It’s Hay fever.

If you’re allergic to pollen, your body will release excess histamine, which can make your peepers red and very itchy.

Short of breath

YOU might feel like your airways are clogged with half a field of grass if you suffer from hay fever, but shortness of breath is in fact a key symptom of Covid.

Your chest may also feel tight and you can find taking each breath is difficult.

If you suffer from asthma, it could be BOTH.

Loss of smell

THIS one could be either.

Both hay fever and Covid can leave you with no sense of smell, or a reduced sense of smell.

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In the case of hay fever, it may be down to having a blocked nose.

However, Covid can also leave you unable to taste anything.