BirGün Newspaper- April 11, 2021
Spring allergy, which has similar symptoms to Covid-19, causes anxiety in many people. President of the Allergy and Asthma Society Prof. Dr. Akçay points out that allergy sufferers will catch the virus more easily: An allergic person puts their hand to their eyes and nose more often. As a result, there is a greater risk of contracting Covid-19.
With the spring season, complaints of spring allergy, known as ‘hay fever’ among the public, began to increase. The increased amount of pollen in the environment, especially with the warmer weather, causes the nose, eye and respiratory complaints typical of allergies. President of the Allergy and Asthma Society Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akçay and Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. İbrahim Akkurt warns that spring allergy symptoms can be confused with Covid-19 symptoms and cause concern.
“While those with coronavirus have high fever, weakness, muscle pain, smell and taste problems, these symptoms are not seen in spring allergies,” said Prof. Dr. Akçay continues his words as follows: “In someone with spring allergies, sneezing and itching in the nose one after the other come to the fore. Allergic rhinitis and coronavirus are more confused with each other due to the fact that high fever is less common in young children. However, if consecutive sneezing and nasal itching are prominent in children, allergy should be brought to mind.”
prof. Dr. Akçay explains that Covid-19 can meet allergy sufferers more easily with the following words: “An allergic person who comes into contact with the coronavirus, which can be in many places such as mobile phone, door handle, stair railing; he will bring his hand to his eyes and nose more often. As a result, there will be a greater risk of contracting the coronavirus disease. At the same time, someone with coronavirus will also transmit more viruses due to frequent sneezing and excessive runny nose. As a result, the coronavirus can be transmitted more easily to allergy sufferers and can spread more around allergy sufferers. Therefore; It will be very beneficial for people with spring allergies not to be outdoors, to wash their hands more often, and to wipe their nose and eyes with the outside of their hands if possible.”
THEY MUST HAVE THE VACCINE IN HOSPITALS
Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. İbrahim Akkurt, on the other hand, draws attention to the fact that allergic people are more sensitive to vaccines and warns: Because something from outside enters. Those with an allergic background may be somewhat more sensitive to the Sinovac vaccine, which is widely administered in the community, but more to the BioNTech vaccine. Those who are prone or allergic to allergies should definitely tell their healthcare professionals before getting vaccinated. In particular, anaphylaxis, which is the most serious allergic reaction, can result in death. Since it will cause sudden cardiac and respiratory arrest, centers where emergency intervention will be performed should be selected. Therefore, in such cases, the vaccine should be administered in hospitals, not family health centers. Fully equipped hospitals where emergency service can be provided should be preferred.”
