Loss of taste and smell key Covid-19 symptoms, app study finds

A poster in the window of a pharmacy is pictured in Royal Wharf as the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues, in London, Britain. Almost 60% of patients who were subsequently confirmed as positive for Covid-19 had reported losing their sense of smell and taste, data analysed by the researchers showed. — Reuters

LONDON: Losing your sense of smell and taste may be the best way to tell if you have Covid-19, according to a study of data collected via a symptom tracker app developed by scientists in Britain and the United States to help monitor the coronavirus pandemic.

Almost 60% of patients who were subsequently confirmed as positive for Covid-19 had reported losing their sense of smell and taste, data analysed by the researchers showed.