1 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day thirty five 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. Our main story 3 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: today and under examined symptom of COVID nineteen could give 4 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: scientists clues about how to contain the virus. But first, 5 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: here's what happened today. The new coronavirus has now infected 6 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: two million people around the world. Hitting that number is 7 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: a grim milestone. It exposes how hard the world has 8 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: struggled to contain the deadly pathogen. It took about four 9 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: months for the virus to infect one million people and 10 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: only twelve days for that number to double. The total 11 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: case count today is likely higher than two millions, with 12 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: some countries, including the US, testing only a fraction of 13 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: their populations. The European Commission is devising a plan to 14 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: get Europe's economy back up and running. The Commission says 15 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 1: companies and workers won't get back to business as usual 16 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: until there's a vaccine or a cure for COVID nineteen. 17 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: In the meantime, the European Union's Executive arm has created 18 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: a roadmap for partially lifting restrictions in an effort to 19 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: mitigate the economic devastation. The plan, unveiled by Commission President 20 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: Ursula Vonderland on Wednesday, would coordinate a gradual exit from 21 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: the lockdowns that the blocks twenty seven member states imposed 22 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: last month. The Commission has warned that the easing may 23 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: be temporary, as it will unavoidably lead to a spike 24 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: in new cases that could threaten healthcare systems again end 25 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: and lead to a reinstatement of the confinement rules. And 26 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: China criticized US President Donald Trump's decision to halt funding 27 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: to the World Health Organization and said they would support 28 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: the global health body. Trump ordered the move against the 29 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: WHO on Tuesday, saying the organization took China's claims about 30 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: the coronavirus at face value. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jolly 31 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: g n said Wednesday that the decision will quote weaken 32 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: the who's capabilities and undermine international cooperation end quote. And 33 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,679 Speaker 1: now for today's main story, the loss of the ability 34 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: to smell is one of the strangest clues that someone 35 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: may have COVID nineteen. Experts around the world are still 36 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: trying to understand why this symptom pops up and what 37 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 1: it means for patients. Some are calling on people who 38 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: have lost their sense of smell to get tested and 39 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: isolate themselves, even if they have no other symptoms, to 40 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: slow the spread of the virus. Bloomberg Senior editor Jason 41 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: Gale helps untangle the mystery of how COVID nineteen might 42 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,839 Speaker 1: affect smell and why we might want to pay more 43 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: attention to this obscure symptom. Thanks to COVID nineteen, we've 44 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: learned a bunch of new words these past months. A 45 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: nasmia and discusia are a couple of them. A nasmia 46 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: is the medical term for the loss of smell. If 47 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: you have discusia, it means your ability to taste things 48 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: is off. It turns out both can be signs and 49 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: sometimes the first sign of COVID nineteen. What I hadn't 50 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: yet realized is I'd completely lost my sense of small 51 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: add taste. This is Dan Mace, a thirty year old 52 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: vlogger from Cape Town, South Africa, who told his seven 53 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: and fifty thousand UT subscribers about his experience of COVID nineteen. 54 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: He got diagnosed on March twenty one. He felt pretty 55 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: lousy for a while, but wasn't hospitalized. In fact, a 56 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: couple of doctors who reviewed him didn't think he had 57 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: the coronavirus, but still some of his symptoms persisted, because 58 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: when I made myself breakfast that I realized I had 59 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: absolutely no taste and no smile, and that I hadn't 60 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: had these two senses since the day that I became ill. 61 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 1: Dan Mace isn't alone. His symptoms have been experienced by 62 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: patients all over the world, and eos and throat surgeons 63 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: have likewise been noting such cases and alerting their colleagues 64 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: to them. I spoke recently with Dr Jim Denaney, who's 65 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: been working in the field for forty two years and 66 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: is on the faculty at Johns Hopkins and the University 67 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: of Missouri. He's also the executive vice president and CEO 68 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 1: of the American Academy of odo Laryngology. Had a neck surgery. 69 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: Jim told me the loss of smell isn't uncommon when 70 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: someone has a cold. COVID nine tame patients seem to 71 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: be getting it more. I would say that a higher 72 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: percentage of people seem to be getting it. There's still 73 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: a good recovery rate, but there's a higher percentage of 74 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:19,040 Speaker 1: people than you'd expect from a common cold are getting 75 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: some real anosmia or hyposmia. Partial smell and the accompanying 76 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: this goosey. It means your taste is a little off, 77 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: and you can make that happen yourself just by pinching 78 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,839 Speaker 1: your nose when you're eating. So there's a normal relation 79 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: between those two. Doctor saw a similar phenomenon with size 80 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a related coronavirus I think 81 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 1: caused an outbreak in two thousand and three. This seems 82 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: to be a little more prevalent than that one was, 83 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: at least from what I've read. But I don't think 84 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,599 Speaker 1: anyone has access to the total number of cases because 85 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: many providers don't ask that question, and a lot of 86 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,839 Speaker 1: people are are so worried they don't come out and 87 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: say and by the way, I can't smell or taste. 88 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: They're worried whether they're going to survive or not. Jim's 89 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: Academy started an online and knows me, a reporting tool 90 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: for doctors to share information about the condition. In much 91 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: it's gathering important insights into patients with COVID nineteen who 92 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: are experiencing a complete or partial loss of their senses 93 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: of smell and taste. I think the most interesting piece 94 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: in this first hundred and fifty there was over thirty 95 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: percent that it was the only symptom they had before 96 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: the diagnosis. It was the first symptom. Jim thinks it 97 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: makes sense for health workers to queery patients about sensory 98 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: changes when they decide if someone should be tested for 99 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: the coronavirus. In my mind, it's a what have you 100 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: got to lose? Situation? If you ask the question and 101 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: they don't have it, you have lost nothing. Because it's 102 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: not an additional test. It doesn't put anyone at more risk, 103 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: but it may actually get someone into self isolation earlier, 104 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: or be tested earlier than or is already happening. If 105 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: you have these symptoms, how long will they last? We 106 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: don't know. Some of these cases aren't that far, but 107 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: the ones who are a lot of these don't last 108 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: more than five to seven days was the average time 109 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: in our in our studies, So most people will get 110 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: most people get it back the majority, and most of 111 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: it comes within the first week to ten days. I 112 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: guess as the takeaway point, the loss of smell might 113 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: sound like a quickie symptom of COVID nineteen, but its 114 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: effects can be profound, especially for those people whose sense 115 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: of smell is lost forever. Dr Bob Data is an 116 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: associate professor of neurobiology at Havard Medical School in Boston. 117 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: His laboratory studies the function of neural circuits and how 118 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: they drive behavior. Hey is particularly interested in the sense 119 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:05,679 Speaker 1: of smell, how animals detect smells, and how that changes 120 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: brain activity. I very much think the hope is that 121 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: only a small fraction of these people will permanently lose 122 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: their sense of smell, Bob says. When that happens, the 123 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: permanent loss of the ability to smell is far from trivial, 124 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: and it's important to remember that from a medical perspective. 125 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: You know, as humans were used to thinking of smell 126 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: as being kind of a bonus sense um, and it's 127 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: really critical to know that that's that's not what smell is. 128 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 1: So smells essential for detecting dangerous odors, smoke from fires, 129 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: spoiled food, natural gas, but and so we think of 130 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: smelling that way, But it smells also incredibly important for 131 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: our well being. People who have nuance that permanent osmia 132 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 1: often describe themselves as being depressed, and they're really at 133 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: risk of developing depression because we're so dependent on our 134 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: sense of smell for our kind of sense of well 135 00:08:56,559 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: being and situating ourselves emotionally in the world. And so 136 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: I think it's a community where we're really taking it 137 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: seriously because we're hoping that I can understand this process 138 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,719 Speaker 1: and maybe in the future. Interview, Bob says, basic scientific 139 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: understanding about the new coronavirus is just emerging, which is 140 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: why lamps are like his of only hypotheses around why 141 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: infections may cause and nose meet and so that really 142 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,319 Speaker 1: strongly suggests that what's not happening is that the virus 143 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,679 Speaker 1: is directly affecting the cells in your nose that are 144 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: responsible for smell. Okay, so what else could possibly be 145 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: going on? They've looked at other possibilities. The virus could 146 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: be affecting cells that surround key neurons in the nose, 147 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: stopping them from sending electrical signals to the brain. Or 148 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: it could be damaging a layer of stem cells under 149 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: the neurons, which then need to recover. You know, we're 150 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: dealing with a very unusual situation. In which you know, 151 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 1: the science is coming out as fast as we can 152 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,719 Speaker 1: generate it. What are the amazing things about the way 153 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:54,439 Speaker 1: that science firs today Is that we can communicate a 154 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 1: result of very quickly, and that means that there are 155 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: a lot of preliminary results flooting around, But it also 156 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 1: means that it's gonna take some time for us to 157 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: organize an information. It really makes sense of it. The 158 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: mystery of why many COVID nineteen patients lose their sense 159 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: of smell and taste hasn't been solved yet, but finding 160 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: the answer may lead to ways of treating the condition 161 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: and hopefully shorten the time it takes to resolve. Perhaps 162 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,680 Speaker 1: more important, if doctors begin to systematically screen for this symptom, 163 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,679 Speaker 1: not just the more common ones like coffin fever, they 164 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 1: could test and isolate people with the coronavirus sooner. That 165 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 1: could eventually make a big difference in containing the disease. 166 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 1: That was Jason Gale in Melbourne. And that's it for 167 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: the Prognosis Daily edition. For more on the pandemic from 168 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: our bureaus around the world, visit Bloomberg dot com slash 169 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: coronavirus and one small favor if you like what we're doing, 170 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,319 Speaker 1: Please take a second to rate the podcast and leave 171 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps 172 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:13,200 Speaker 1: more listeners find our global reporting. The Prognosis Daily edition 173 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: is hosted by Me. The show was produced by Me 174 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:22,079 Speaker 1: Topher foreheads, Jordan Gaspoure and Magnus Hendrickson. Today's main story 175 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:26,679 Speaker 1: was reported by Jason Gale. Original music by Leo Citrian. 176 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 1: Our editors are Francesca Levy and Rick Shine. Francesca Leviy 177 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:35,959 Speaker 1: is Bloomberg's head of podcasts. Thanks for listening.