As anecdotal evidence began to emerge suggesting the loss of sense of smell and taste* might be early symptoms of COVID-19, flavors & fragrances giant IFF teamed up with researchers at the above institutions to give ‘peel and smell’ cards** in English and Spanish to 1,500+ people at COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites, first responders, and patients in respiratory clinics at local hospitals in Boston.
‘Around 70% of people that were infected with COVID-19 reported losing their sense of smell’
The cards invited participants to identify common smells such as smoke and roses, and then distinguish between different odors from IFF, guided by a simple app (click HERE).
Researchers then looked at those who ‘failed’ the smell test and tested positive for COVID-19 and found a high correlation, although more tests will be needed to validate this and come up with a more accurate percentage figure, said Dr. Gregory Yep, chief scientific and sustainability officer at IFF.
“We know that around 70% of people that were infected with COVID-19 – symptomatic or asymptomatic - reported losing their sense of smell and about 50% reported the loss of taste, and these are general numbers we’re also seeing in our study from the first 1,500+ or so tests, but we’ve got another 1,500 going out so we can validate those numbers.”
‘We see this as an early detection system that could go national or even global’
The next step will be to send out tests to large numbers of asymptomatic people, who could be ‘super spreaders,’ said Yep.
“We see this as an early detection system that could go national or even global," he said. However, he clarified, failing the smell test doesn’t prove you have COVID-19. It just suggests you might want to get tested. He also noted that loss of sense of smell can indicate many other things as well, from a stuffed nose unrelated to COVID-19 or a concussion.
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June 03, 2020 at 01:50AM
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IFF teams up with medics to explore 'smell test' potential in early COVID-19 detection - FoodNavigator-USA.com
"smell" - Google News
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