Loss of smell, taste no longer predominant COVID symptoms as virus continues to mutate
BOSTON -- As the coronavirus continues to mutate, the symptoms reported by patients with COVID are changing as well.
A recent survey of 17,500 patients in the United Kingdom found that the loss of taste and smell were no longer predominant symptoms of COVID while sore throat, dry cough, headache, and stuffy nose were the most common.
Fewer patients reported high fever, shortness of breath, and loss of taste with the Omicron variant compared to the Alpha and Delta variants.
Loss of smell was reported by about half of COVID patients earlier in the pandemic but only ranked 20th in this survey.
However, anecdotally, some doctors are reporting an increase in patients reporting loss of smell with the newer BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.
Read more