Sneezes, sniffles, and stuffy noses in April, all part of the yearly gifts spring give to people with allergies. With the COVID outbreak, one sneeze can be a reason to move away from someone. Of course, a sneeze doesn’t always mean COVID, but it varies from case to case. How have people been reacting to allergies now?

CHS junior Brooklyn Chaney is one of the unlucky ones with allergies. “I feel like if I see someone coughing or if someone sees me coughing I’ll definitely get a look or two.”, she said. Because of this, she tries to avoid coughing and sneezing to not make others uncomfortable. Similarly, CHS freshman Ian Pitman says, “When I sneeze, I try to suppress it because people might think I have corona. I react differently when people sneeze too, I move away just in case.”

For some, allergies don’t impact them, but the idea of an unwarranted cough does. Freshman Lila Huish doesn’t have allergies, but when she sees someone sneezing she takes a step away. “I kinda get nervous, and give them a look.” She says, “I react differently because coughing and sneezing are like two of the main symptoms of COVID. I try to stay away from them.”

Luckily, the masks seem to be doing a good job of filtering out the allergens for many people with allergies. John Leung, an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine says that masks help with filtering out allergens. Staff Bill Swacker agrees and says that this year his allergies are a lot less than in the years past. 

All in all, allergies and the coronavirus both induce various unwanted symptoms. Camas High School students and staff all have different opinions on the topic. One thing is clear though: allergies and COVID are both raging on in the spring.