According to a report by Sun UK, a loss of taste and smell are now official symptoms of coronavirus.
The revelation was made by England’s deputy chief medical officer today announced.
It means anyone suffering from either will have to self-isolate for seven days and their family remain indoors for 14.
Victims of anosmia will also be eligible for Covid testing.
Until now, only Brits with a new fever or persistent cough were allowed to get checks.
But scientists and leading experts have repeatedly criticised this narrow set of symptoms, warning it risk missing up to half of cases
Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer, today said: “Our basic case definition for some time has been a new continuous cough or fever.
“That will change to a new continuous cough, or fever, or anosmia.”
He explained that while in clinical terms anosmia refers to a loss of or a change in normal sense of smell, patients may also experience a loss of taste as the two are closely linked neurologically.
Those who experience a “new onset of anosmia” should self-isolate for seven days, however, symptoms could persist for weeks after they come on.
The change to the official symptom list comes after scientific advisers warned that as many as a quarter of coronavirus patients may be overlooked because they don’t have a cough or a fever.
Members of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) have been collecting data on the unusual sign since early in the UK’s coronavirus outbreak.
