“Based on our study, if you have smell and taste loss, you are more than 10 times more likely to have COVID-19 infection than other causes of infection,” Dr. Carol Yan, an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at the University of California, San Diego Health, said in a statement….
Of the COVID-19-positive patients in the study, about 68% said they experienced smell loss and 71% reported taste loss, as compared with 16% and 17% of negative patients, respectively. Among the COVID-19 patients with smell or taste loss, the decrease in sensation was often “profound, not mild,” according to the UC San Diego statement. However, the majority of patients recovered their sense of smell and taste within about 2 to 4 weeks, around the time they’d recovered from infection….
Smell and taste loss should be noted as potential signs of COVID-19 in people who otherwise feel well, given that those with mild symptoms contribute heavily to the virus’ spread, Yan said.
Article submitted by, salticidae.
