You need to enable JavaScript to run this website. A sore throat, also known as pharyngitis, is the swelling of the pharynx as a manifestation of an underlying medical condition or a temporary injury.
It is more common in children, especially during winter when the humidity and temperatures are low, causing air to dry out the mucous membrane in your throat and cause irritation. While sore throats are prevalent in viral respiratory diseases such as flu and the common cold, they can also result from bacterial infections and physical injury, as per the National Health Service.
Given this relatively lower figure, medical professionals should not use a sore throat as the basis for identifying potential COVID patients. For instance, during the early stages of infection, other than a scratchy throat COVID symptom, you are more likely to feel tired, have a dry cough, and fever.
On rare occasions, you may also experience symptoms such as aches and pains, loss of taste and smell, diarrhea, skin rashes, discoloration of toes and fingers, and inflammation of the eye. If you experience sore throat and any of these other symptoms, you should consider calling your doctor for a thorough medical checkup. Depending on your body, the incubation period of COVID can be anywhere between 2 to 14 days post-exposure.
Therefore, in case you have been exposed to COVID, and now you have a sore throat, you should self-quarantine for at least 14 days to minimize the chances of infecting others. You should also keep monitoring your health to determine when you need thorough medical attention. Other than COVID, a sore throat can also be a symptom of conditions such as flu, common cold, strep throat, and allergies.
