Health Headlines - 9-23-20

In today's health headlines we talk about the difference between symptoms of COVID-19, fall allergies and influenza and what you should watch out for.

IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY SNIFFLE ANDSNEEZE ATTRACTS ATTENTION THESEDAYS... BUT IS IT ASIGN OF FALL ALLERGIES... THEFLU.... OR COVID-19?DOCTOR FRANK MCGEORGE EXPLAINSWHAT TO DO IF YOU STARTDEVELOPINGTHESE SYMPTOMS AND WHY --ADVICE--WILL BE-- DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.A COUGH, MAYBE A RUNNY NOSE...UNLIKE IN YEARS PAST -- THESEDAYS, THOSE SYMPTOMS WILL GETYOU ASIDEWAYS GLANCE IN PUBLIC.TIMING WISE -- IF YOU'VE HADFALL ALLERGIES IN PAST YEARS --IF YOUR SYMPTOMS ARE SIMILAR --IT WOULD BEA GOOD BET THAT YOU HAVE FALLALLERGIES AGAIN.INFLUENZA IS VERY UNLIKELY RIGHTNOW SINCE THERE ISN'T ANY PLACEIN THE U-S WITH SIGNIFICANT FLUACTIVITY YET -- ONCE WE GET TONOVEMBER THE FLU WILL BE MORELIKELY THAN ALLERGIES FOR MANY.IF YOU HAVE THE SAME FALLALLERGY SYMPTOMS YOU ALWAYS DOIT'S MORE LIKELY THAT'S THEANSWER... ASCOVID ACTIVITY CHANGES --POSSIBLY INCREASING INTO LATEFALL AND WINTER -- COVID MAYBECOME MORELIKELY THAN EVEN THE FLU.YOU ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER YOURSYMPTOMS.SYMPTOMS THAT MAKE IT MORELIKELY TO BE ALLERGIES INCLUDEITCHY EYES AND SNEEZING.A FEVER OR BODY ACHES MAKES ITUNLIKELY THAT IT'S AN ALLERGY --COVID OR INFLUENZA ARE MORELIKELY.DISTINGUISHING THE FLU FROMCOVID IS VERY CHALLENGING BUTSHORTNESS OF BREATH,VOMITING OR DIARRHEA ARE MORECOMMON WITH COVID THAN THE FLU-- AND THEY ALSO MAKE ALLERGIESUNLIKELY.FINALLY THINK ABOUT YOUREXPOSURES -- IF YOU BECOME AWARETHAT YOU WERE EXPOSED TO COVID--ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT CANPRESENT WITH MINIMAL TO NOSYMPTOMS -- YOU NEED TO TAKE ANYSYMPTOMSSERIOUSLY AND GET TESTED.PRACTICALLY SPEAKING... IF YOUHAVE ANY SERIOUS SYMPTOMS LIKEFEVER...BODYACHES... SHORTNESS OF BREATHOR A SIGNIFICANT COUGH... YOUSHOULDCONSIDER GETTING A COVID TEST.IF YOU'RE SYMPTOMS ARE MINOR...CONSIDER FACTORS LIKE SEASONALTIMING ANDDISCUSS IT WILL YOUR DOCTOR.DEPENDING ON YOUR EMPLOYER...YOU MAY STILL FAIL A SYMPTOMSCREENING AND NEEDTO GET TESTED BEFORE GETTINGCLEAR FOR WORK --EVEN IF YOUHAVE ALLERGIES