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people may be sick with the virus for 1 to 14 days before developing symptoms. the most common symptoms of coronavirus disease (covid-19) are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment.
more rarely, the disease can be serious and even fatal. older people, and people with other medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), may be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill.

allergies have chronic symptoms
covid-19, like the flu or common cold, is an acute illness, meaning people feel fine until symptoms start showing up.

allergies, on the other hand, “are usually chronic, presenting with symptoms off and on for weeks, months, or even years,” dr. david m. cutler, family medicine physician at providence saint john’s health center in santa monica, california, told healthline.

experts also noted that, in most parts of the country, it’s not allergy season yet.

“allergies should not cause a fever or body aches,” arthur said. “generally, [there is] no cough unless you have a lot of nasal drainage.”

allergies also may cause wheezing, she added, especially in people with asthma.

“allergy symptoms tend to vary with the environment: worsening with exposure to dust, pollen, or animal dander, whereas cold symptoms tend to persist regardless of time of day, weather, locality, or other environmental factors,” cutler said.

also, as with covid-19, “colds are more likely to have generalized symptoms like fever, headache, and body aches, whereas allergies usually affect only the respiratory tract,” cutler said. “allergy symptoms tend to improve with antihistamine and other allergy-specific medication. colds are more likely to respond to decongestants, acetaminophen, fluids, and rest.”

despite symptoms, it’s not the flu
covid-19 is not the flu.

as one of a class of pathogens known as coronaviruses, it’s actually more closely related to the common cold than the seasonal flu.

however, despite some overlap, the typical symptoms of covid-19 are more similar to the flu (fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue) than the common cold (runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, congestion, slight body aches, mild headache, sneezing, low-grade fever, malaise).

“in terms of differentiating between flu and covid-19, it can be almost impossible to distinguish,” dr. jake deutsch, co-founder and clinical director of cure urgent care centers and specialty infusion in new york. “that’s why people are recommended to have flu vaccinations so it can at least… minimize the risk of flu in light of everything else. fevers, body aches, coughing, sneezing could all be equally attributed to them both, so it really means that if there’s a concern for flu, there’s a concern for covid-19.”

if you have a mild case of covid-19, the flu, or a cold, treatment is geared toward management of symptoms, said cutler.

“generally, acetaminophen is recommended for fevers,” he said. “cough drops and cough syrups can also help keep mucus secretions thinner. if there is associated nasal congestion, antihistamines may be useful.”

what we know about how the novel coronavirus spreads
the novel coronavirus spreads like other viruses that cause common respiratory illnesses, such as the flu: via “droplets” that are excreted by coughing, sneezing, and breathing.

anytime an individual is within close proximity to someone with a coronavirus infection, there’s the potential to spread it through aerosolized droplets.

hence why public health officials, including the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc), suggest limiting exposure through mass gatherings.

the cdc has even announced its own set of recommended guidelinestrusted source for such events.

one of the recommendations for event organizers is determining when events need to be canceled, a recommendation that’s clearly been heeded by many organizations across the country.

dr. robert glatter, an emergency physician at lenox hill hospital in new york city, told healthline that he praises such a decision.

“it’s just not worth the risk,” he said.

“in the midst of community spread of covid-19 within the u.s., organizers of large events, meetings, and festivals need to realize the potential risks to all attendees. it’s in the best interest of all parties involved to cancel such events,” glatter added.

coronavirus can spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, too
more likely than transmission through direct contact, however, is through surface contact with the virus.

new research suggests that human coronaviruses can live on certain surfaces, such as plastic and stainless steel, for up to 3 days.

surface contact can occur after droplets settle out of the air, meaning that things like doorknobs, keyboards, or frequently touched objects can be sources of exposure.

how you can best protect yourself in public places
the bottom line, according to the cdc, is that individuals who fall into certain higher-risk categoriestrusted source — such as older adults and those who have serious chronic medical conditions (like heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease) — should avoid large crowds and mass public gatherings.

that doesn’t mean that healthy individuals necessarily need to cancel their summer plans. but there are things that everyone should do to stay safe.

“meticulous hand hygiene — along with avoidance of touching your eyes, nose, or mouth — is paramount when dealing with this mode of spread,” glatter said.

those recommendations are also echoed by the cdc.trusted source

patel also tells healthline that there are plenty of common sense ways to keep yourself safe and help stop the potential spread of the disease.

“if someone is coughing, they should cover their cough with a tissue or their bent elbow… if someone is ill, they shouldn’t go to events or work or congregate with other people,” she said.

but as everything from concerts to sporting events get canceled, many will have to juggle their own needs for social interactions with concerns over this disease.

and that will be an evaluation individuals will have to make for themselves.

“people do need to make decisions about their risk and what they want to partake in,” patel said.

“a music festival is not a requirement for anybody, but obviously it’s nice to be able to attend something like that. anyone who would fall into a risk category for this, or a higher risk category, it might not make sense to do that,” she said.