Is It Allergies Or Omicron? Doctors Seeing More Positive Cases In Central Texas

While we are in the middle of cedar fever season for Central Texas, something else is rearing its ugly head as well. KXAN is reporting that many people who thought they simply had allergies are testing positive for COVID-19. The omicron variant is also spreading throughout North Texas, according to FOX4 News.

According to Austin Public Health Medical Director Dr. Desmar Walkes, who cited the CDC, the omicron variant could account for over 90% of cases in Texas.

It's Hard To Tell The Difference

The symptoms of cedar fever and covid are very similar, so it's easy to confuse the two. According to Baylor, Scott and White Health, one in five Central Texans are dealing with cedar fever. Cedar fever isn't a flu or virus, but an allergic reaction to pollen released by various cedar trees.

Common cedar fever symptoms include itchy eyes, itchy throat, runny nose and nasal congestion.

The most common COVID-19 Omicron variant symptoms are runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, and sore throat.

Of course, it's always possible to have both allergies and a viral infection at the same time. If you have allergy signs like itchy eyes and a runny nose along with COVID-19 symptoms like fatigue and a fever, call your doctor.

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Get Tested

If you have symptoms or a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, you should be tested, regardless of your vaccination status.

It may be hard to find at-home testing kits, as many stores are sold out of them due to high demand. If you're looking for a place to get tested, you can look at the list of Central Texas locations here.