To add to the misery, it can lead to a nagging cough from excess mucus running down the back of the throat (post nasal drip).ĭo You Have COVID-19, a Cold, or Allergies?

Results of the U.K.-based Zoe COVID Symptoms Study, published in December 2021 in the BMJ, showed that runny nose is among the top five symptoms reported for omicron infection, along with headache, mild or severe fatigue, sneezing, and sore throat.Ī COVID-19 runny nose can last anywhere from a few days to a week or more. In the omicron era, congestion and a runny nose are common signs of COVID-19, particularly in people like Dec who are vaccinated and boosted, or who have some measure of immunity from a prior bout of COVID-19. Her runny nose and congestion persisted for about 12 days, she says. A PCR test showed that she did, in fact, have COVID-19. Still, a slight fever and abundance of mucus prompted her to mask up and drive to see an urgent care physician. So when she woke up the next morning with a runny nose and a scratchy throat, “I thought I had a cold, allergies, or strep throat,” says Dec, who is the executive director of the Bridgehampton Museum on Long Island in New York. She took a rapid home test for COVID-19: negative. One night in June 2022, Nina Rayburn Dec started feeling sniffly and congested.

Covid symptoms in kids bloody nose