Reuters:
The United Kingdom has added the loss of smell and taste to its official list of Covid-19 symptoms including fever and new continuous cough – a step that it hopes could help pick up about 2 percent more cases of novel coronavirus.
The change, announced by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, came after scientists advising the government decided it could help pick up more cases if included in the
basic case definition.
“Our basic case definition, which has for some time been new continuous cough or fever, will change to new continuous cough or fever or anosmia,” Van-Tam, who previously worked at SmithKline Beecham, Roche and Aventis Pasteur, told reporters.
For the purposes of public messaging, anosmia – the loss of smell – will be defined as a loss of smell and taste as the two are very closely linked in a neurological sense, Van-Tam said.
By adding anosmia the sensitivity of new case pick up
