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Comment by omgwtfbyobbq | Hacker News Reader

I've suspected the same in SoCal. DW and I have been feeling kind of bleh over the past few days, and as of today both of our families haven't been feeling great either. It could be something else too, but I wouldn't be surprised either way.

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So you've been feeling bleh and a few others you know - and the conclusion is COVID-19? Not allergies? https://www.pollen.com/

It's more likely some other random virus, but it could be COVID-19. It's unlikely to be allergies in my experience. See my above response for more info.

Allergy season? It's hitting me as of mid-week. In the bay area here.

Allergies got me rubbing my eyes all the time. I'm screwed

It could be allergies. Whatever it is, it's fairly regular. I have a once a day spike in symptoms, only at night so far, where I feel like I'm about the catch the flu (runny nose, scratchy throat, a bit of coughing, and generally feeling poor), but the symptoms fade after an hour or two. Besides that I just feel tired, and at the start of whatever this is I had a day of loose BMs. DW and I's family also started feeling crummy a few days after we did, which could admittedly just be a coincidence.

On the flip side, it's also fairly common to think the flu is just a cold virus or allergies because most people don't display much in the way of symptoms.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/03/17/2908789...

Odds are this is just some random virus (>90% chance), but I wouldn't be surprised if it was COVID-19 either (<10% chance).

Edit - I also have a cousin living in LA that developed pneumonia, which again could just be coincidental.

Everything is in bloom right now in Santa Clara County, which is certainly going to make allergies flare up. Anecdotally, there does seem to be something going around. It’s smart for people to take care of themselves regardless by getting rest, etc. Even if you’re down and out from allergies, caution is warranted and working from home if you’re able to is a good idea.

FWIW, try not to act on that assumption being correct. Because if you’re wrong, you now have two illnesses simultaneously...

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