Researchers all over the world are working at breakneck speed to understand and curb the novel coronavirus. One of the difficulties doctors have had in diagnosing COVID — besides insufficient testing — is that the symptoms are similar to the common cold, the flu, and allergies. But one relatively unique symptom is beginning to emerge — loss of smell. Doctors want people to know that folks who lose their sense of smell or taste should self-isolate, even if they don’t have any other symptoms, the New York Times reported.
That loss of smell may be an indication that a person who seems healthy is carrying the virus and can transmit it to others, the Times reported.
Research on this is still limited, but experts want us to take heed. “We really want to raise awareness that this is a sign of infection and that anyone who develops loss of sense of smell should self-isolate,” Prof. Claire Hopkins, president of the British Rhinological Society, told the Times. This is important, Hopkins noted, for slowing the spread of the virus and potentially saving lives.
That loss of smell may be an indication that a person who seems healthy is carrying the virus and can transmit it to others, the Times reported.
Research on this is still limited, but experts want us to take heed. “We really want to raise awareness that this is a sign of infection and that anyone who develops loss of sense of smell should self-isolate,” Prof. Claire Hopkins, president of the British Rhinological Society, told the Times. This is important, Hopkins noted, for slowing the spread of the virus and potentially saving lives.
