Would you test for lack of smell due to blocked nose?

[cherrytreeblossom]

I have a run of the mill head cold.

No temperature or cough.

Very bunged up and therefore cant smell anything.

I read that coronavirus loss of smell is quite different to that.

I work in a school so want to be responsible but also dont want my whole households work and life to grind to a halt unnecessarily.

Is it irresponsible to think, i cant smell because Im full of snot?

No, Scottish clinical director said a few weeks ago that a loss of taste or smell caused by a blocked nose is not the loss of taste or smell for Covid which occurs without a blocked nose.

No. You don't have any symptoms to qualify for a test.

Yes - you have loss of smell so you have to isolate and test.
It could be because you are bunged up, but nevertheless, you have a covid symptom that requires you following the guidance. I would not be happy if you worked in my children's school having a covid symptom and returning to the workplace.

No!!! Losing your sense of smell because you are bunged up is totally different to losing taste and smell without a cold. I know.

The loss of taste and smell with covid is not linked to a blocked nose. Take a decongestant nasal spray and see if you can still smell things after your nose had cleared.

No it's completely different. It's not caused by bunged up snot. Just keep an eye on the other symptoms and if you are sick, take some time generally op as you don't want to give a cold on top of covid to anyone atm!

@dementedpixie

The loss of taste and smell with covid is not linked to a blocked nose. Take a decongestant nasal spray and see if you can still smell things after your nose had cleared.

That.

No you do not need to test

My DD has just tested positive. She started with a blocked nose, hoarse voice, then no sense of smell. She is no longer blocked but still can't smell anything. She was convinced it was only a cold.

Open something really strong smelling - TCP, menthol, whisky, perfume - can you smell an edge of it? If so, it's not the covid loss of smell

@mrswhiplington

My DD has just tested positive. She started with a blocked nose, hoarse voice, then no sense of smell. She is no longer blocked but still can't smell anything. She was convinced it was only a cold.

But this is because the cold has gone. I agree there is a chance this may be covid but atm she is just showing cold signs. I would still be isolating as much as possible op.

The loss of smell that occurs with Covid can be pretty spectacular. (I think because it is a neurological symptom and not caused by a blocked nose) - I literally could not smell anything, not even a whiff of something. I tested it with coffee, chilli, drains, rotten oranges, wet 🐕 , perfume. With vinegar there was a slight reaction to the acidity, but no smell at all. Took about 6 weeks before it came back properly. As someone with a very sensitive sense of smell normally - it was a very strange occurance.

Just tested for exactly that.

@DameFanny

Open something really strong smelling - TCP, menthol, whisky, perfume - can you smell an edge of it? If so, it's not the covid loss of smell

No, nothing at all

You clearly want to waste an NHS test for what you know is a cold

Why start the thread?

I'd stick my head over a bowl of boiling water and vicks for 15 minutes. I'd expect to be able to smell menthol after that, even with a cold. If I really couldn't smell after that I would test in case I had a cold and Covid at the same time.

Hope you feel better soon

If you've tried a decongestant and still nothing then yes, go for a test. Hope you're ok

@hamstersarse

You clearly want to waste an NHS test for what you know is a cold

Why start the thread?

Started the thread to canvass opinions on what others would do - I have no intention of wasting a thread, if anything I had made decision not to test and wanted reassurance that it isnt irresponsible not to.

You don’t need a test if you know you have a cold

You simply contribute to extra costs and more false positive rates - the PCR test is widely accepted to be unreliable for its current function and this will tell you nothing because you don’t have the symptoms

@hamstersarse

You don’t need a test if you know you have a cold

You simply contribute to extra costs and more false positive rates - the PCR test is widely accepted to be unreliable for its current function and this will tell you nothing because you don’t have the symptoms

What's your source for saying the PCR test is widely accepted as unreliable please? I've seen nothing in any reputable sources to back this claim up

@hamstersarse
But the OP does have one of the symptoms - loss of smell. They are seeking to clarify what 'loss of smell' actually means when related to Covid - and it seems after seeking clarification- that it is the kind of loss of smell that could indicate covid - (ie total loss of smell, not just a blocked nose) - so should absolutely be isolating and getting a test. No question.

This article is a good summary and explanation of the issues around the PCR test

Fundamentally, the govt are refusing to publish the False Positive Rate. We have had various ministers give different estimates. Hancock quoted 1% and said ‘that’s nothing’ but he doesn’t seem to understand how much of a disaster it is to have a FPR of 1%. Explained in the article. It’s not just that 1 in a 100 get a FP, it works out much more than that.

Dominic Raab when talking about why they didn’t to tests at airport said “because they are too unreliable with a 7% FPR”

It’s a very serious problem that needs to have transparency. Prof. Carl Hennegan is worth a look up on this

lockdownsceptics.org/radical-uncertainty-and-government-innumeracy/

I thought that when you lose the sense of smell you also completely lose the sense of taste? I don't think it's one or the other?

Certainly, that's what happened to me. It was very disconcerting. eg if I drank wine, I could tell I was drinking alcohol, but couldn't properly taste or smell it. It was very odd and I found myself trying to get more flavour and adding salt and chilli and all sorts - none of which worked (this was at the beginning, before the loss of sense and taste was a recognised symptom and it actually took me a few days to even realise what had happened. I was just confused for days).

I would agree with others - try get your nose clear by using a decongestant and a good steam of your face. Then see how things smell/taste.

[quote hamstersarse]This article is a good summary and explanation of the issues around the PCR test

Fundamentally, the govt are refusing to publish the False Positive Rate. We have had various ministers give different estimates. Hancock quoted 1% and said ‘that’s nothing’ but he doesn’t seem to understand how much of a disaster it is to have a FPR of 1%. Explained in the article. It’s not just that 1 in a 100 get a FP, it works out much more than that.

Dominic Raab when talking about why they didn’t to tests at airport said “because they are too unreliable with a 7% FPR”

It’s a very serious problem that needs to have transparency. Prof. Carl Hennegan is worth a look up on this

lockdownsceptics.org/radical-uncertainty-and-government-innumeracy/[/quote]
Dominic Raab intended to say that testing at airport would be pointless because not everyone infected abroad would show positive on a test on the day of their flight (which is why other countries use quarantine) but he didn't say it clearly. Not that tests are not reliable.

Since when was lockdown sceptics a reliable source? Try www.health.harvard.edu/blog/which-test-is-best-for-covid-19-2020081020734 instead