- Researchers say COVID-19 face masks are helping people with outdoor allergies because they filter out pollen.
- But they say people need to keep their masks clean and remove them properly.
- On the other hand, people with indoor allergies, such as to pet hair and dust mites, may have more serious cases this year due to stay-at-home orders.
COVID-19 preventive measures, such as mask wearing, may have additional benefits for people with pollen allergies.
However, for people who have issues with indoor allergens, COVID-19 lockdowns may be making things worse.
“A lot of our pollen-allergic patients are actually doing very well because they tend to stay indoors, and when they’re going outdoors they’re wearing a mask. They’re doing avoidance measures, so they’re doing better,” Dr. Rita Kachru, an allergy specialist at UCLA Health in California, told Healthline.
“What we’re finding is patients who have indoor allergies, such as dust mite, cat, or dog allergies, are actually doing worse,” she added.
Source: healthline