BY KAREN BOSSICK

For weeks the symptoms associated with coronavirus have included a fever, cough, body aches, sore throat, fever and chills, headaches, fatigue, nasal congestion and maybe even a feeling that the lungs are being constricted.

Now, other telltale signs are being added to the mix.

• Loss of smell and taste—something some Wood River Valley residents have complained of--may be another telltale clue.

  Anyone who has had the common cold has probably lost a sense of taste or smell at some time or another. But this affliction, called anosmia or smell blindness, seems to be occurring now in cases where the people’s noses are clear and they’re not congested.

  While these people don’t need to be tested, they should monitor themselves for other symptoms, such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath. And they should self-isolate for 14 days so not to risk spreading the virus.

  Happily, the sense of smell and taste usually bounces back after several days, although it may take a few weeks.

• Red eyes may be another sign that a patient is sick with the virus. The eyes themselves are not red, but rather the rims around the eyes—like when someone has allergies.
• A stomachache may be another early warning sign. A study from the Wuhan Medical Treatment Expert Group for COVID-19 now says that the first complaint among half its patients was diarrhea, upset stomach, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Maybe all that toilet paper will come in handy, after all!

Some researchers, however, say the gastrointestinal symptoms are more likely to be caused by foodborne illness or another infectious disease than coronavirus. Sick food workers can spread the disease to each other or to customers but they don’t spread it through the food.

All that handwashing you’re doing right now will not only protect against COVID-19 but common foodborne illnesses from handling food!