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Pollen-allergy vs. COVID-19 symptoms, here are the differences

Fever is not an allergy symptom; itchiness isn’t a COVID-19 symptom.

In this undated photo, Stanley Fineman looks through a microscope at Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Center in Atlanta to examine pollen.
In this undated photo, Stanley Fineman looks through a microscope at Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Center in Atlanta to examine pollen.Read moreRobin B. Panethere / AP

Tree pollen and coronavirus symptoms differ in important ways. Here is a summary.

For allergies, common symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, and stuffiness; headache; wheezing; and shortness of breath, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Shortness of breath and dry cough also are common to the coronavirus, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the big difference is that allergies cannot cause a fever, nor will COVID-19 be accompanied by itchiness, says Marc Goldstein, chief of allergy and immunology at Pennsylvania Hospital.

Goldstein adds that COVID-19 patients are less likely to endure the incessant sneezing that so plagues allergy sufferers.