WISCONSIN— Flu season is looming in the not-so-distant future, and the pandemic appears to be here to stay, taking more than 200,000 U.S. lives since it began. But, that sore throat you had this morning might not be a result of the flu or coronavirus. 

It could just be allergies. 

There is some crossover of symptoms of the flu, coronavirus and seasonal allergies. These include coughing, headaches, fatigue, sore throats, congestion and runny noses. 

However, there are some tell-tale signs that you may just need to stock up on allergy medicine. For instance, itchy, watery eyes and sneezing are both common complaints from allergy sufferers. 

“The main question I ask [patients] is whether symptoms are different than baseline, and if so, they need to be evaluated,” says Dr. Ashleigh Olson. “In addition, allergies should respond to allergy medications. COVID-19 will not. So that’s another way someone might be able to tell the difference between the two.”

On the other hand, symptoms attributed to the flu and COVID-19 include fever, body aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If you experience loss of taste or smell, that symptom is specific to coronavirus. 

Dr. Olson, an allergist at SSM Health, also says many of her patients are asthmatics, and regularly worry if their symptoms are due to coronavirus. 

Her advice for anyone with asthma is to be as proactive as possible. 

“My biggest advice for asthmatics is we want them to keep their asthma as controlled as possible,” says Dr. Olson. “That way, if they do get sick, they are at a better starting point than if it was uncontrolled.”