Public Health England recognises anosmia as COVID-19 symptom

02 June 2020

More than eight weeks since ENT UK and the British Rhinological Society first wrote to Public Health England requesting that it recognise loss of smell and taste as possible symptoms of COVID-19 infection, it announced today that these have been added to the official list of symptoms.

The advice offered by the Chief Medical Officers of the UK now holds that any member of the public exhibiting these symptoms should self-isolate. This is a very important change to the previous advice, likely to have a real effect on slowing the spread of the virus, and represents a considerable achievement for ENT UK and BRS. You can read the joint statement from ENT UK and BRS here.