Long Islanders dealing with running noses and sore throats could be confused as allergy season has hit its peak, but so have cases of the flu and COVID.

Dr. Eugene Vortsman of LIJ Medical Center says that now that masks are off and people are traveling, it's not a surprise that viruses are spreading more quickly.

However, because it is also spring, allergies could also be the cause of some flu-like conditions.

"The big overlap in symptoms is with allergies," Vortsman says. "Allergies tend to be runny nose, runny eyes, cough, not as much as the body aches, pain, fever that we often feel with things like flu or COVID."

Some who have already had COVID say when the spring came, they immediately knew that allergies caused their symptoms.

"Sneezing, sneezing fits, eight to nine times in a row," says Rich Nagasawa, of Lake Ronkonkoma. "It's bad, it's bad, but I'm alive. I can live my life with allergies. It's OK."

Doctors say if you feel symptoms it's a good item to get tested for COVID before gathering with family and friends.

They also say people need to continue washing their hands and wearing a mask in crowded places.