![Upstate NY Ticks Spreading Illness With COVID-Like Symptoms](http://townsquare.media/site/81/files/2020/05/GettyImages-51093192.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Upstate NY Ticks Spreading Illness With COVID-Like Symptoms
Just when you thought the great outdoors would help you get away from the coronavirus, this story comes along.
Going outside and social distancing in the great outdoors was probably the healthiest thing you could do this summer. That certainly still applies when it comes to COVID-19, but now there is a little extra wrinkle.
A tick-borne illness called anaplasmosis which has symptoms similar to the coronavirus is making a comeback in Upstate New York, according to a Times Union report. The Times Union says "...some of the symptoms include fever, muscle aches and even respiratory failure." Just like lyme disease, this virus is spread by the deer tick. But there is some good news here. This illness is not as prevalent as lyme, testing for it is very accurate and it is treatable with antibiotics.
This has been one of the frustrating things about COVID-19. You hear about all the symptoms, but a lot of the time, if you are having those symptoms, chances are you are dealing with something else. For example, when I got that first sore throat and cough from allergies this spring, the first thing that popped in my head was coronavirus. Of course, after applying a little logic and experience you can walk back from those thoughts and get to the bottom of what is really going on.Regardless, the whole process can be a little unnerving. Kind of like 2020 so far.
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