Here's how you can tell if you've got hayfever rather than Covid-19

With pollen levels set to increase this month hayfever sufferers will begin to face the sniffles.

Now more than ever amid the Covid-19 pandemic it is important to know the difference between common hayfever symptoms and coronavirus, so you can take the right steps to feeling better.

Boots Pharmacist Heather Feeney has shared some advice on knowing the difference between the two and provides her top tips on how to manage your hayfever symptoms.

Ms Feeney said: “Hayfever symptoms are different to coronavirus. The most common symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature and / or a new continuous cough.

Hayfever doesn’t cause a high temperature and most people don’t feel unwell. While our knowledge of coronavirus is still evolving it appears that sneezing is not a symptom and it's rare to have a runny or stuffy nose.

"Typical hayfever symptoms include sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy red watery eyes or an itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears."

She also provided her top tips to help ease hayfever symptoms:

• First up, daily prevention
• - Try applying Vaseline to the inside of your nose, it works as a barrier and can trap pollen before breathing it in.
• - When you’re in and out of the garden, wear wraparound sunglasses to help prevent pollen from getting in and irritating your eyes.
• - After spending time outdoors, try and make time to have a shower to wash away any stray pollen on your hair and skin, and put all clothes straight in the wash.
• - Avoid hanging your washing outside as the pollen in the air can cling to your clean clothes and linger on the materials.
• Met Éireann is your friend
• - Keep your eye on the Met Éireann website daily so you can monitor the pollen forecast.

Ms Feeney concluded: “There are lots of hayfever relief products out there, so if one type of medication isn’t working for you, consider swapping to another.

"If you’re looking for help choosing, your local pharmacy will be able to suggest alternatives.”