- One expert says if symptoms are mild, you could confuse your illness for allergies.
- Cough, fever, and shortness of breath are common COVID-19 symptoms.
- Sinus congestion, runny nose and sore throat are symptoms of becoming infected with the delta variant.
- Sneezing more than usual is a symptom of having the delta variant.
By Christian Spencer, Changing America, August 6, 2021
The delta variant of COVID-19 can have symptoms that are more mild and typically not associated with the virus that some may mistake the illness as allergies or another common sickness.
Louisiana State Health Officer Joe Kanter said the delta variant of COVID-19 still has its usual symptoms like cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
However, Kanter is seeing many patients present with symptoms that appear to be run-of-the-mill illnesses, like sinus congestion, runny nose and sore throat. These symptoms could be signs that patients have the delta variant, he told Audacy.
“You can present with relatively mild symptoms that you can easily confuse for allergies or something that you picked up from your kid who is in daycare, all of those things,” said Kanter. “If you have any symptoms, no matter how mild, even if it is a sore throat, even if it is a runny nose, even if it is sinus congestion, go get yourself tested and limit your contact with other people until you do so.”
As Changing America previously reported, according to researchers at the ZOE COVID Symptom Study, excessive sneezing is also a symptom of having the delta variant.
“Our data shows that people who had been vaccinated and then tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to report sneezing as a symptom compared with those without a jab,” researchers wrote.
Changing America also notes that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 95 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19; Johnson & Johnson is around 66 percent.
Additionally, one expert told CNN that cloth masks may not be as effective as KN95 masks or N95 masks at defending against the delta variant.