The UK has now recorded 737 new coronavirus-related hospital deaths. This brings the latest figures to 10,612 and comes after one of the government’s senior scientific advisers said the UK is likely to be among the worst-affected European countries. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked healthcare workers for saving his life after finally being discharged from hospital. The updated number of reported deaths doesn’t include deaths outside of hospitals, however.

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• Coronavirus symptoms: A fog-like feeling warning of an infection

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock spoke at the daily briefing earlier and said: “We are now starting to see a flatlining of the curve and the core goal has been achieved.

“This goal was ensuring the NHS capacity was always above the current demands and that has been achieved.

“Moments like this where we are able to support everyone in the NHS and able to see the curve coming down shows that self-isolation is working.”

In order to see the curve flatten even more, spotting early warning symptoms of COVID-19 is imperative.

Losing any of these two sensations could signal an infection.

British ear, nose and throat doctors have cited reports from other colleagues around the world and concluded that a loss of smell could be a warning sign of coronavirus.

The experts asked that for anyone experiencing these peculiar symptoms to isolate themselves for seven days, even if they have no other symptom.

Professor Claire Hopkins, president of the British Rhinological Society said: “We really want to raise awareness that this is a sign of infection and that anyone who develops a loss of sense of smell or taste must self-isolate.”

Professor Carl Philpott from Norwich Medical School at UEA said: “Coronaviruses have previously been associated with what we refer to as post-viral olfactory loss.

“This is smell loss that persists after a cold. There are many respiratory viruses that can potentially cause problems with the smell receptors.

“So far with COVID-19, the smell loss appears to be transient but only as time elapses will we know how many people have a more permanent loss.

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• Coronavirus symptoms: Two warning signs in the stomach

Kings College London said: “The latest analysis of data from the COVID Symptom Tracker app suggest losing your sense of taste and smell may be the best way to tell whether you have COVID-19.

“The COVID Symptom Tracker app was developed by researchers at King’s College London as part of a Twins UK study.

“The data analysed from the app shows that 59 percent of COVID-19 positive patients reported loss of smell and taste, compared with only 18 percent of those who tested negative for the disease.

 

“Using all the data collected, the King’s research team behind the app, alongside data scientists, developed a model to identify which combination of symptoms together could predict COVID-19 cases.

“The model features a combination of loss of smell and taste, fever, persistent cough, fatigue, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and loss of appetite, in which the strongest predictor is loss of smell and taste.”

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