Loss of Smell and Headache Most Common Symptoms?

[THoltz]

So today I read an article based on studies conducted in Europe and USA and new data suggest fever is not the most common symptom of COVID-19. The study stated only 45% of patients studied had fever.
70% of patients studied either had loss of smell or headaches.

I thought this article was very insightful.

https://bgr.com/2020/05/15/coronavirus-symptoms-loss-of-smell-a-more-frequent-fever-than-fever/#

[dorabella]

Well it has now been confirmed by WHO that loss of taste and smell are one of a host of new symptoms - ENT specialists have been banging on abut this since February.

I had a dose of what I thought was a winter cold bug back at the start of February and experienced this anosmia for 4 days. Never happened to me before with a winter bug and I haven't had a winter dose for 5 years. This was unusual also because the infection went on for around 3 weeks ... much longer than usual.

Other on this site have also reported anosmia, conjunctivitis, headaches and muscle pains with the'bug back in January and February. We all know now that the virus was circulating much earlier than officially reported so looks as if a lot of us had a mild dose of the virus already. But as we have none of us been tested for antibodies ... well we may never know.

[Lencoboy]

Well it has now been confirmed by WHO that loss of taste and smell are one of a host of new symptoms - ENT specialists have been banging on abut this since February.

I had a dose of what I thought was a winter cold bug back at the start of February and experienced this anosmia for 4 days. Never happened to me before with a winter bug and I haven't had a winter dose for 5 years. This was unusual also because the infection went on for around 3 weeks ... much longer than usual.

Other on this site have also reported anosmia, conjunctivitis, headaches and muscle pains with the'bug back in January and February. We all know now that the virus was circulating much earlier than officially reported so looks as if a lot of us had a mild dose of the virus already. But as we have none of us been tested for antibodies ... well we may never know.

What you have said makes sense to me, though I don't necessarily recall having a loss of taste/smell during my 'flu' bug back in February, though it's still plausible that I may have had CV without even knowing it at the time. I currently have a bit of a headache and sinus pain and have done on and off for the past two days, but no loss of taste/smell, a temperature of 37.8C (or higher), nor a constant dry cough, so probably allergy-related. My dad has also been the same.

[BlueIris]

I definitely lost my sense of smell in January. Had a bad bout of sinusitis a couple of decades ago that means it doesn't take much for it to vanish, but the incident at the start of the year was particularly bad - I ate some hummus that was apparently well past its prime and couldn't tell there was anything wrong with it.

[Lencoboy]

I am also wondering why this particular CV-related symptom has suddenly become so newsworthy, as I thought it was already well-known as one of the key symptoms of the virus to watch out for from the off?

[dorabella]

It was spoken about and reported quite widely by both people who had experienced it and the medics that had noted it - but I think like everything else around this virus, if it had been officially acknowledged earlier on then people would have to have been tested and much higher infection rates would have had to be registered. Back then they wouldn't even admit to not having sufficient testing facility in place. I've read that we could have been talking of a hundred thousand cases.

Now of course, they can throw all of this at antibody testing ... if that ever materializes. Nice little retrospective catastrophe data bonus for the media and 'experts' to salivate over ... now that infection rates are decreasing and the mass panic is receding. But perhaps I'm just being cynical.

[Lencoboy]

It was spoken about and reported quite widely by both people who had experienced it and the medics that had noted it - but I think like everything else around this virus, if it had been officially acknowledged earlier on then people would have to have been tested and much higher infection rates would have had to be registered. Back then they wouldn't even admit to not having sufficient testing facility in place. I've read that we could have been talking of a hundred thousand cases.

Now of course, they can throw all of this at antibody testing ... if that ever materializes. Nice little retrospective catastrophe data bonus for the media and 'experts' to salivate over ... now that infection rates are decreasing and the mass panic is receding. But perhaps I'm just being cynical.

Sadly it now seems to be the anti-vaxxers pouring out of the woodwork, and doing a lot of the so-called 'catastrophising' and scaremongering.