A loss of smell or taste may be a sign that you have coronavirus, according to UK researchers.
A team at King's College London looked at responses from more than 400,000 people reporting suspected Covid-19 symptoms to an app.
But loss of smell and taste are also signs of other respiratory infections, such as the common cold.
And experts say fever and cough remain the most important symptoms of the virus to look out for and act upon.
If you or someone you live with has a new continuous cough or high temperature, the advice is to stay at home to stop the risk of spreading coronavirus to others.
What did the study find?
The King's College researchers wanted to gather information on possible coronavirus symptoms to help experts better understand and fight the disease.
Of those reporting one or more symptoms of coronavirus to the Covid Symptom Tracker app:
- 53% said they had fatigue or tiredness
- 29% persistent cough
- 28% shortness of breath
- 18% loss of sense of smell or taste
- 10.5% suffered from fever
Of these 400,000 people, 1,702 said they had been tested for Covid-19, with 579 receiving a positive result and 1,123 a negative one.
Among the ones who had coronavirus infection confirmed by a positive test, three-fifths (59%) reported loss of smell or taste.
BBC
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