Is it COVID or bad air?
Jan 19, 2022, 10:02 PM | Updated: Jun 8, 2022, 6:22 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – A veil of smog lays over Utah valleys settling in to create one of the worst weeks this winter for air pollution. It’s led a lot of people to wonder – is this cough from the bad air or do I have the coronavirus?
“I would never think of the inversion to be the cause of my sickness,” Abbey Nelson said.
She’s not alone. Jeb Johansen says he can feel the impact in his lungs after his morning jogs.
“It does make you wonder if you are sick. That is how you feel.”
Is it covid or the bad air?
We spoke w/ a doctor that dives into symptoms caused by the smog veil over the valley 🤢 @KSL5TV
(Also— hi! You’ll see me in 10 pm a lot more due to a schedule change 🙂) #covid #smog #AirPollution pic.twitter.com/5Q6pFi9Jlp
— Morgan Wolfe (@MorganWolfeKSL) January 20, 2022
Dr. Denitza Blagev is a pulmonologist at Intermountain Health Care. She says the air pollution can actually make it easier for people to get sick with other respiratory illnesses like bronchitis, and pneumonia.
“The easiest way to tell if it’s the air pollution or COVID is to get a COVID test,” Dr. Blageb said.
You can get free at-home COVID-19 tests through a new government program. Click here to find out how.