Why Summer Colds Are Back in Full Force

If you’ve caught a cold this summer that you just can’t seem to shake, you’re not alone. 

Chen Kirshenbaum has been trying to get over a bad cold for three weeks, and even got tested twice for COVID-19 to make sure she hadn’t contracted the virus. She told Inside Edition she went through an entire box of tissues, several bottles of cold medicine and a box of tea bags fighting off the sickness.

Social media is buzzing with posts from people who say they’re fighting the worst colds they’ve ever had. 

“I’m fully vaxxed, take my mask off once to go into Wawa and get cash. Now look at me,” one cold sufferer with tissues stuffed up her nose said.

Dr. Roshini Raj explained what’s behind the uptick.

“Because people were home so much last year, their immune system wasn’t really exposed to a lot of the cold viruses that normally circulate. So their immune system, while it’s not weakened, it’s just not primed as much as it normally is. So you may be more susceptible to get a cold, and you might get a more severe summer cold than what you’re used to,” Raj said.

Since cold symptoms may mimic mild cases of COVID-19, the only reliable way to tell them apart is to get tested. Experts also say that if you’re experiencing a loss of a taste or smell, there’s a better chance you have COVID and not just a cold.

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