“COVID-19 causes more of a dry cough, loss of taste and smell, and, typically, more respiratory symptoms,” Melinda said. “Sinusitis causes more discomfort in the face, congestion, nasal drip, and facial pressure.”
In comparison to sinusitis, COVID-19 is more likely to cause lung-related symptoms, especially cough, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. It's also more likely to cause a fever. In addition, loss of taste or smell is more likely to go along with COVID-19.
Having a stuffy or runny nose was usually a sign of a sinus infection. That isn't the case anymore. Today, nasal congestion and a runny nose are symptoms of the most prevalent COVID-19 variant, Omicron. Other COVID-19 symptoms similar to a sinus infection are headaches and sore throat.
Green and cloudy: viral or bacterial infection
A lot of the symptoms of viral infections – fever, cough, headache, loss of smell – overlap for COVID-19 and other viral infections like the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and the common cold.
Other disease processes can mimic sinusitis including the common cold, allergies, migraine headache, chronic daily headache, myofascial pain, temporomandibular joint or jaw pain, rhinitis medicamentosa, and even sleep apnea. Therefore an accurate diagnosis requires a thorough history and physical examination.
Possible symptoms include: Fever or chills. Cough. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
COVID-19 might cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea — either alone or with other COVID-19 symptoms. Digestive symptoms sometimes develop before a fever and respiratory symptoms. Loss of smell or taste. A new loss of smell or taste — without a stuffy nose — is a common early symptom of COVID-19 .
The most common things people who become ill with COVID-19 have include: Fever or chills. A dry cough and shortness of breath. Feeling very tired.
Delta variant symptoms are the same
Typically, vaccinated people are either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms if they contract the delta variant. Their symptoms are more like those of a common cold, such as cough, fever or headache, with the addition of significant loss of smell.
Are sinus infections contagious? “Because many times sinus infections are caused by viruses, they can be contagious like other infections, such as colds,” Melinda said. “If you have a sinus infection, it's important to use good hygiene skills.
Mucus or pus can build up behind the eardrum, causing pressure and pain. In general, COVID-19 has not been associated with ear infections, and generally these types of infections do not share a great deal of common symptoms.
Like flu and COVID-19, colds are also caused by viruses and can be passed to others. Symptoms of a cold tend to be mild. You may have a runny nose, cough, congestion, and sore throat. But you won't usually have the aches and fever that are common with COVID-19 and flu.
Take OTC antihistamines
Nasal decongestant sprays, such as oxymetazoline (Afrin, Vick's Sinex) and phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine), can also be helpful.
Patients with mild illness may exhibit a variety of signs and symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, malaise, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of taste and smell). They do not have shortness of breath, dyspnea on exertion, or abnormal imaging.
On June 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added three symptoms to its COVID-19 list: Congestion/stuffy nose, nausea and diarrhea. Those three new conditions now join other symptoms identified by the CDC: Fever.
In infected individuals, the peak viral load occurred on day 5, with the virus first detected in the throat and then rising to significantly higher levels in the nose.
BMJ: “Covid-19: Runny nose, headache, and fatigue are commonest symptoms of omicron, early data show.”
A person may have mild symptoms for about one week, then worsen rapidly. Let your doctor know if your symptoms quickly worsen over a short period of time.
You are most infectious (or contagious) in the first 5 days after your symptoms start. You can also spread COVID-19 in the 48 hours before your symptoms start. If you never have symptoms, consider yourself most infectious in the 5 days after you test positive.
Many people who are infected have more mild symptoms like a scratchy throat, stuffy or runny nose, occasional mild cough, fatigue, and no fever. Some people have no symptoms at all, but they can still spread the disease.”
Instead, your doctor looks largely at symptom duration to determine the source of your infection. A viral sinus infection will usually start to improve after five to seven days. A bacterial sinus infection will often persist for seven to 10 days or longer, and may actually worsen after seven days.
For adults — See a health care provider if:
You have symptoms for more than 10 days. You have a high fever. What's coming from your nose is yellow or green. You also have sinus pain or fever.