Most people are afraid that the symptoms of a common cold or influenza will be similar to the symptoms of the emerging corona virus (Covid-19), and they are confused by the matter a lot, including some doctors or health care providers, and during the past months there has been widespread talk of cases that were misdiagnosed as being A cold, which is in fact an infection with Corona … So, how can we distinguish between the two cases? European researchers who studied patients’ experiences, and said, according to BBC Arabic, that the loss of smell that can accompany the Corona virus is unique and different from that experienced by a person with a cold or flu. When “Covid-19” patients suffer from loss of smell, it is sudden and severe. Most people with Coronavirus can breathe freely, as they do not usually have a blocked, stuffy or runny nose. The other thing that distinguishes them from others is their “real” loss of taste. In the journal Rhinology, the researchers say it’s not that their sense of taste is somewhat impaired, but that it is completely disrupted. Coronavirus patients who have lost their sense of taste cannot distinguish between bitter or sweet. Experts believe that the reason for this is that the epidemic virus affects nerve cells directly related to the sense of smell and taste. The main symptoms of the Corona virus are: a high temperature, a new and continuous cough and a loss of the sense of smell or taste, and anyone who suffers these symptoms must isolate themselves and arrange for a swab test to verify if they are infected with the virus. Their family members and contacts should also be isolated to prevent possible spread. ** Research on smell Principal investigator, Professor Carl Philpott of the University of East Anglia, conducted smell and taste tests on 30 volunteers: ten with “Covid-19”, ten with colds, and ten healthy people without symptoms of cold or flu. And the loss of smell was more profound in people with the Coronavirus, as they were less able to recognize odors, and they were not able to distinguish the bitter or sweet taste at all. Professor Philpott, who works with the Fifth Sense charity that was created to help people with smell and taste disorders, said: “It appears that there are indeed distinct features that distinguish Corona virus from other respiratory viruses.” “This is very exciting because it means that smell and taste tests can be used to distinguish between” Covid-19 “patients and people with colds or common flu,” he added. He said people can do smell and taste tests themselves at home, using products like coffee, garlic, oranges, lemons and sugar. He stressed that throat and nasal swab diagnostic tests are still necessary if someone thinks they have coronavirus. He added that the senses of smell and taste return within a few weeks for most people who recover from the Corona virus. Professor Andrew Lynn is an expert in nose and sinus problems at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. He and his team have been studying tissue samples from the back of the nose to understand how the Corona virus can cause loss of smell, and they published the results in the European Respiratory Journal and identified Extremely high levels of the enzyme that was only present in the nose area responsible for smell It is believed that this enzyme, called ACE-2, is the “entry point” that allows the Corona virus to enter the cells of the body and cause nasal infection. It is one of the places where the virus “SARS-Cove-2” that causes COVID-19 to the body. Professor Lynn said: “We are now doing more experiments in the laboratory to see if the virus is actually using these cells to reach and infect the body.” “If this is the case, then we may be able to treat the infection with antiviral treatments that are delivered directly through the nose.”