A group of Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist doctors from the Royal College of Surgeons of England recently released a report citing loss of sense of smell as a major symptom for people infected with the Coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Nearly 30% of patients in South Korea, where there’s more widely available testing than in the US, have anosmia, or the lack of smell, as a primary symptom in otherwise mild cases. Germany says that nearly 2/3rds of COVID-19 patients report loss of smell, as well.
The loss of smell or taste is quickly becoming a recognized red flag, indicating that a patient might have COVID-19, even if they don’t have the other major symptoms that we know so well by now: cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
Zedic is working closely with the CDC to determine whether loss of smell should be added to our recommendations for employee exemptions, and to symptom surveys. We’ll follow the CDC’s lead, but in the meantime we recommend caution if an employee reports that they or a close relation has loss of smell.