Story at a glance:
- 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.
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.
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
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.
READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA
EVIDENCE MOUNTS THAT DELTA VARIANT IS DANGEROUS FOR KIDS
THERE’S ONE KIND OF MASK THAT WON’T PROTECT YOU FROM THE DELTA VARIANT
NEW POLL DISCOVERS WHO AMERICANS BLAME FOR CURRENT COVID-19 SURGE
TRUMP SLAMMED BY HIS OWN FORMER HHS SECRETARY OVER PRIVATE VACCINATION
‘THE WAR HAS CHANGED’: CDC DOCUMENT WARNS DELTA VARIANT MORE SEVERE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAMBDA CORONAVIRUS VARIANT
SOME AMERICANS ARE GETTING VACCINATED SECRETLY BECAUSE THEY FEAR BACKLASH
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
