Nov 11, 2020
Smell and taste changes provide early indication of COVID-19 community spread
Self-reports of smell and taste changes provide earlier markers of the spread of infection of SARS-CoV-2 than current governmental indicators, according to an international team of researchers. The researchers also observed a decline in self-reports of smell and taste changes as early as five days after lockdown enforcement, with faster declines reported in countries that adopted the most stringent lockdown measures.
![Researchers find that self-reports of smell and taste changes provide earlier markers of the spread of infection of SARS-CoV-2 than current governmental indicators. IMAGE: ENGIN AKYURT, UNSPLASH](https://www.huck.psu.edu/assets/uploads/news/_600x600_crop_center-center_80_none/engin-akyurt-b6CCEsofl90-unsplash.jpg)