COVID-19: Loss of sense of smell and taste may be hidden symptoms of coronavirus

The loss of taste and smell could be that you might be “hidden carriers” of the novel coronavirus. This shocking fact was revealed by The British Association of Otorhinolaryngology, which represents ear, nose and throat specialists. They say the loss of senses often appears in patients who show none of the earlier known symptoms.

The association said in a statement, Anosmia or hyposmia it is the medical terms for the loss of smell have been noted in COVID-19 hotspots around the globe.

Association’s president, professor Nirmal Kumar, told Sky News, “In young patients, they do not have any significant symptoms such as the cough and fever, but they may have just the loss of sense of smell and taste, which suggests that these viruses are lodging in the nose. If they have these symptoms then they should isolate themselves for seven days as it could be the sign of COVID-19. If the loss of sense carriers are forced into quarantine earlier, it will slow the spread of the new virus.”

The statement further added, “There have been a rapidly growing number of reports of a significant increase in the number of patients presenting with anosmia in the absence of other symptoms. Iran has reported a sudden increase in cases of isolated anosmia, and many colleagues from the US, France, and Northern Italy have the same experience.”

“In Germany, almost two-thirds of patients have reported losing their sense of smell, while in Korea almost a third have even in “otherwise mild cases. These patients maybe some of the hitherto hidden carriers that have facilitated the rapid spread of COVID-19.”

As of Sunday night, 335,997 cases of the novel coronavirus had been confirmed around the world, with 14,641 dead and 98,333 reports of recoveries.

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