MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. About 75-80% of people who contracted the coronavirus infection lose sense of smell and taste. Usually it lasts for 3-4 weeks yet this symptom is not the main sign of the infection and can also be an indicator of other diseases, experts told TASS.
"Any virus, especially the flu virus, can cause this. This is a very common symptom with the coronavirus infection - 75-80% of people have distortions of olfaction and taste. It happens with flu and acute respiratory infection but much less, several times less," Chief ENT expert of the Central Federal District, Head of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Department and Clinic of the Sechenov Univeristy Valery Svistushkin said.
"The sense of smell is by far not the main sign [of the coronavirus], there are quite a lot of them. Having suspected it (the infection - TASS), one has to see a doctor for a check-up," Head of the Scientific Clinical Center of Otorhinolaryngology of Russia’s Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA), chief non-resident otorhinolaryngologist of Russia’s Healthcare Ministry Nikolai Dayhes said.
One cannot accelerate the process of return of the sense of smell in case of the coronavirus infection, it is necessary to see a doctor but only after recovery, Svistushkin said.
If an individual has no fever, nor direct signs of the coronavirus infection yet lost the sense of smell and taste, it is necessary to pay attention. "This is often a sign of the coronavirus so the patient should act as if having the coronavirus infection. One has to get smears and blood tested and remain self-isolated," the chief otorhinolaryngologist explained.