Loss of Smell and Taste Added to List of Symptoms to Identify Coronavirus Patients, Says Health Ministry

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday added symptoms of loss of smell and taste (anosmia and ageusia) in the clinical management guidelines for coronavirus patients.

"Loss of smell (anosmia) or loss of taste (ageusia) preceding the onset of respiratory symptoms has also been reported," say the guidelines.

Older people and immune-suppressed patients in particular may present typical symptoms such as fatigue, reduced alertness, reduced mobility, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, delirium. Children might not have reported fever or cough as frequently as adults, said the ministry.

"As per data from Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP)/Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) portal, case investigation forms for COVID-19 (15,366), the details on the signs and symptoms reported are (as on June 11, 2020), fever (27 per cent), cough (21 per cent), sore throat (10 per cent), breathlessness (8 per cent), weakness (7 per cent), running nose (3 per cent) and others (24 per cent)," says the guideline.

The Ministry said a patient with acute respiratory illness (fever and at least one sign/symptom of respiratory disease, e.g., cough, shortness of breath), and a history of travel or residence in a location reporting community transmission of COVID-19 during the 14 days prior to symptom onset can be a suspected case of COVID-19.

A patient with any acute respiratory illness and having been in contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case in the last 14 days prior to symptom onset and a patient with severe acute respiratory illness (fever and at least one sign/symptom of respiratory disease, e.g., cough, shortness of breath; and requiring hospitalization) and in the absence of an alternative diagnosis that fully explains the clinical presentation can also be a suspected case of coronavirus, as per the Health Ministry's new guidelines.

Clinical features of COVID-19 patients reporting to various COVID treatment facilities have so far reported the symptoms of fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, expectoration, myalgia, rhinorrhea, sore throat, diarrhoea, etc.