A healthy (or unhealthy) sense of smell has always been likened to the ‘canary in the cole mine, alerting us to possibly underlying health conditions. It is no surprise that this human sensory tool is now being linked to the early identification of COVID-19
Along with fever, cough and shortness of breath – many coronavirus (COVID-19) patients report a temporary loss of their sense of smell. It appears that olfactory loss is significantly greater in COVID-19 patients compared to the loss that is often experienced during a cold, and less commonly, in non-COVID-19 influenza patients. In some countries, such as France, a patient who claims to have a sudden onset of olfactory loss will be diagnosed as a coronavirus patient – without even being tested. A similar approach is being considered in the UK. Based on this data, Weizmann Institute scientists, in collaboration with the Edith Wolfson Medical Center, developed SmellTracker – an online platform that enables self-monitoring of an individual’s sense of smell – for the purpose of detecting early signs of COVID-19 or in the absence of other symptoms.
Reported by – https://www.miragenews.com/self-monitoring-sense-of-smell-may-help-detect-coronavirus/
