The Delta variant appears to be impacting some people in different ways than the original strain, resulting in symptoms that were not historically associated with COVID.
Louisiana State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter said COVID can still show up as the classic symptoms of cough, fever, and shortness of breath, but these days they are seeing many patients present with symptoms that could be mistaken for run-of-the-mill illnesses.
“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.”
For a list of nearby COVID testing sites, you can call 211 or visit the Louisiana Department of Health’s COVID homepage.