ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Anxiety from COVID-19 may have people questioning whether they have the virus or just a common cold.
COVID anxiety can creep up before you’re going out to eat, planning for a vacation, or maybe when you’re feeling a little itch in your throat.
Dr. Joseph Schellenberg with Lehigh Valley Health Network says that might not be a bad thing.
“I would say anxiety that causes caution and judicious behavior, I would say that's OK,” Schellenberg said.
Acid reflux, post-nasal drip and asthma are the most common non-tobacco reasons for coughing. Schellenberg says there’s a way to tell the difference from COVID.
“Usually the differentiation between those are the other symptoms that come along with an acute viral illness,” he said. “So that’s going to be what we call the constitutional symptoms that can be either below or higher-grade fevers, the usual aches, and pains.”
Schellenberg says at-home COVID tests are another way to find out if it’s COVID or a cold.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends a standard PCR test for people who know they were exposed to the virus, and for unvaccinated people who’ve taken part in activities that put them at higher risk for infection. That includes travel, attending large social gatherings or being in crowded indoor settings.