A more reliable indication of whether Kovid-19 has been infected, researchers now say, is the loss of your sense of taste and smell. Studies have shown that tasteless odors are more obvious symptoms of covid than cough or fever. The BBC's health correspondent Rachel Schreier details.
Earlier this year, University College London conducted a study of about 800 patients who did not have a taste or smell, and 80% of them were found to have coronavirus antibodies in their bodies.
Of those who were found to be resistant to the virus, 40% had no other symptoms of covid, such as fever or persistent cough.
This study was conducted on people who had mild symptoms.
One of the symptoms of coronavirus is the loss of taste and smell, the first evidence of which began to appear in April. By mid-May, it was officially added to the list of coronary symptoms as a sure sign.
The current guidelines for coronaviruses say that if someone loses their taste or if they notice a change in the way they taste before, they need to be self-isolated, that is, they need to be isolated and tested for covid.
But Professor Rachel Butterham, lead author of the London study, says coughing and fever are still the main symptoms of covid.
He contacted Family Physicians (GPs) in different parts of London from 23 April to 14 May and through them contacted people who had spoken to doctors in the previous four weeks due to loss of taste and smell. They carry out the research work on them.
All of these participants were tested for corona antibodies, and four out of five of them tested positive for antibodies, proving that they were infected with Covid-19.
However, the scope of this study was limited. That is, the study was conducted only on those who had mild symptoms, including loss of taste and smell. As a result, it was not possible to cover all covid patients in this study.
But Professor Butterham says the survey is important because anyone who notices a change in their taste or sense of smell or suddenly feels they no longer smell "everyday" things like perfume, bleach, toothpaste or coffee, is isolated. Must stay and be tested.
Of course, not all coronavirus patients show symptoms of loss of taste and smell. But he says that in the light of this study, if someone has such an experience, it can be said that the chances of him being infected with covid are very high.
Professor Butterham says you have to see - the nose is not closed, or there is no cold or fever - but the taste in the mouth is gone and you can't smell. He is advising to take care of that.
Scientists say that the reason for the loss of taste and smell when Kovid-19 is infected is that the coronavirus first attacks the cells inside the nose, throat and tongue.
This feeling is very different from the common cold fever. In case of a common cold or runny nose, the patient's airways may be constricted or blocked by the flu virus. It may not taste like food on the tongue.
But the experience of how the taste and smell go away when Kovid is infected is quite different.
Researchers at King's College London, who are running an app for the Covid symptom survey, found in an earlier survey that 80% of coronavirus sufferers had lost their sense of taste and smell.