The Best of the Coronavirus Blog This Week
New research from Johns Hopkins University shed light on one of the most bizarre coronavirus mysteries: why many people with Covid-19 lose their sense of smell. This phenomenon, known as anosmia, was documented in up to 57% of Covid-19 patients in one study, but little was known about its cause. Until now: As Dana Smith writes at the Medium Coronavirus Blog, the loss of smell may be linked to the cells that make up the nose’s odor-detecting areas. They have significantly more ACE2 receptors — crucial for the coronavirus to enter cells — than other cells in the nose.
Scary headlines and a Twitter moment that circulated earlier this week warned of a new, mutated form of the coronavirus sweeping the world that may be more contagious and more dangerous. While it’s true that the virus has mutated and spread around the world, there’s no compelling evidence showing that it has become more contagious and more dangerous. It’s also not new — it was first flagged by scientists in April. The big question for scientists now is: If this mutated form of the coronavirus is not more contagious, then how did it become so common? Fortunately, there are other compelling — and less alarming — explanations.
