HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — It’s that time of year again with many of us getting sick, but it might not just be the common cold.

“We have a lot of people out there with runny noses, coughs, aches, fevers,” St. Mary’s Medical Center Physician Dr. Thomas Rushton said. “The question is what’s causing those things?”

Rushton says several types of viruses are spreading through our communities, including what’s known as coronavirus. But Rushton doesn’t recommend you try to self diagnose this virus.

“If you’re like a lot of people, you’re going to Google it or Yahoo it or whatever you’re going to do, and some scary stuff is going to come up,” Rushton said. “If we look toward the Middle East, there’s been a coronavirus that’s actually caused a number of fatalities. If you’re reading a webpage that’s talking about camels, that isn’t the coronavirus were talking about here in Huntington, West Virginia. We don’t have any of that.”

Rushton says the coronavirus in our area can cause mild to moderate upper respiratory illnesses, and can also include cough, sore throat and even nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Even local pharmacists are seeing a lot of people with these symptoms.

“A lot of people are just coming in and asking general questions about ‘what can I take for a cough?’,” Fruth Pharmacist Mark Painter said. “{They say} I’ve had this cough for a couple weeks now and it’s not getting better.”

Experts recommend frequent hand washing and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

“If you’re really feeling ill, by all means, see your healthcare provider,” Rushton said. “Make sure there’s not something else going on. But in most cases this is going to be a self limiting process. You’re not going to feel very good for a couple days or so. Stay home. Don’t spread it to somebody else.”

Rushton says the colder weather means were closer in proximity to one another, and that makes it easier to spread these types of virus. That’s why it’s so important to keep your hands clean, preferably with soap and water instead of hand sanitizer.

There are no antiviral medication for coronavirus. It can be very serious in those with a compromised immune system because, in some cases, it can turn into pneumonia.