Are BA.5 Patients More Likely To Lose Sense of Smell?

Are BA.5 Patients More Likely , To Lose Sense of Smell?.

NBC News reports doctors in the United States say that with the rise of the BA.5 subvariant, .

Peculiar symptoms of coronavirus may be making a comeback.

Most noticeably, health care providers say many patients once again report a loss of smell.

What I am seeing in my corner of the world is a spike.

, Valentina Parma, psychologist, Monell Chemical Senses Center of Philadelphia, via NBC News.

As the coronavirus pandemic lingers on, new variants and subvariants have appeared less likely to cause a loss of smell than previous ones.

One study found that the Alpha variant, the first variant which caused concern among health care providers.

Was 50% less likely to impair smell than the original strain of coronavirus.

In comparison, the Delta variant only caused about 44% of patients to lose their sense of smell.

During the first Omicron wave, only 17% of patients reported a loss of smell.

During the first Omicron wave, only 17% of patients reported a loss of smell.

Still early in the wave of the BA.5 subvariant, experts say evidence of loss of smell is based on personal accounts rather than facts.

I have talked to people overall about losing their taste and smell lately and it seems that there is an uptick, but the data isn’t there yet.

, Dr. Lora Bankova, allergist and immunologist Brigham, Women's Hospital of Boston, via NBC News