What to know about pink eye, covid and allergies

Pinkeye – an inflamed, itchy, painful eye – is common during allergy season. But now some doctors fear the disease may also be associated with a new coronavirus subvariant.

Health experts say they have not conclusively linked the condition, officially called conjunctivitis, to the Arcturus subvariant. But anecdotal reports suggest the subvariant can cause fever and conjunctivitis, primarily in children. “This is happening in the setting where they have documented the community spread of this virus,” said William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.