Coronavirus update: Loss of smell and taste added as likely symptoms for COVID-19

Coronavirus update: Loss of smell and taste added as likely symptoms for COVID-19

The Health Ministry added that those who are over 60 years old are particularly vulnerable to the infection and those with underlying non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiac disease and diabetes are also at high risk

The Central Government has added a new symptom - loss of smell and taste - to a list of nine other symptoms of novel coronavirus in the document "Clinical Management Protocol: COVID-19" for use by health professionals as a reference. The other symptoms are fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, rhinorrhea, expectoration, myalgia, sore throat and diarrhoea.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said that direct person-to-person transmission occurs through close contact, mainly through respiratory droplets that are released when the infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. "These droplets may also land on surfaces, where the virus remains viable. Infection can also occur if a person touches an infected surface and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth," MoHFW added.

The Health Ministry added that those who are over 60 years old are particularly vulnerable to the infection and those with underlying non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiac disease and diabetes are also at high risk.

The government said that it's pursuing "investigational therapies". The centre added, "...Use of these drugs is subjected to limited availability in the country as of now. Currently, these drugs should only be used in a defined subgroup of patients." Medicines like remdesivir can be taken under emergency; convalescent plasma therapy, tocilizumab and hydroxychloroquine. No vaccine has been developed to fight COVID-19 so far.

India has recorded the highest single-day jump of around 11,500 new cases, pushing the total cases to over 3,08,900, says the latest Health Ministry data. India currently has the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases among 10 nations worst-hit by COVID-19. The country is now only behind Russia, Brazil and the US in terms of total coronavirus cases.

The country surpassed Italy and Spain on 6th June and reported 96,044 coronavirus cases between June 1 and June 11 alone. In India, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, UP, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are the seven states where COVID-19 cases have crossed 10,000 mark.

Maharashtra, which is the most-affected state, has reported 101,141 cases, including 49,628 active cases and 47,796 recoveries. A total of 3,717 people have died in the state so far. With cases topping over 50,000, Maharashtra's capital Mumbai has also overtaken China's Wuhan region where the pandemic originated.

Delhi's total cases stand at 36,824, including 22,212 active cases, 13,398 recoveries and 1214 deaths. In Tamil Nadu, 40,698 people have been affected by COVID-19 so far, including 18,284 active patients, 22,278 recoveries and 367 deaths.