COVID-19 Could Attack Nervous System: Doctor|喪失味覺嗅覺? 醫:病毒可能攻擊神經系統

Among the incoming patients who are infected with COVID-19, two have lost their senses of smell and taste. Infectious Disease Doctors have said that these symptoms show that the virus could have the ability to attack the nervous system.


Two out of the 26 new COVID-19 patients on Monday appear to have lost their senses of smell and tastes. Patients from other countries have shown similar symptoms. A British medical expert said that losing these senses could be the early symptoms of contracting COVID-19 for the younger patients. A infectious disease doctor said that though only a minority of patients have shown such symptoms, it shows that COVID-19 has the capability to attack patients' nervous systems.

A possible reason is that the virus could breed inside a person's nasopharynx and mouth, and they could damage the receptors or the peripheral nerves, which impedes a person's ability to taste or smell. It's unclear whether a patient's sense will recover. It's very rare for other types of viruses to cause such symptoms, so if one experiences these symptoms, they should get themselves tested for COVID-19.

The doctors have advised the public to go for a check-up at nearby hospitals if they experience such symptoms. As the global COVID-19 pandemic grows more severe each day, some have suggested that Taiwan should lock down its major cities. An infectious disease doctor said that lock down isn't necessarily the best measure for dealing with a large scale pandemic.

If a large-scale community infection does take place, and the source of the virus is unclear, it would be necessary to stop all work and classes and ask people to work from home as much as possible. However, asking everyone to stay at home unless they need to purchase necessary goods (a lock down) might be too much, and it's not really necessary.

The doctor said that in case of a large-scale community outbreak, the most important thing for the public is to avoid group activity indoors or in the evenings. The doctor said such infection outbreaks have not happened yet in Taiwan, and he reminds the public to make sure to wash their hands when they enter public areas.



我國週一新增的26個確診案中，有2例個案，出現失去味覺與嗅覺的症狀。國際也有相關案例，有英國專家指出，年輕人感染新型冠狀病毒，不見得會發燒咳嗽，有可能從"喪失嗅覺與味覺"開始，感染科醫師提醒，雖然不是多數患者都有這樣的症狀，但這顯示新型冠狀病毒，有可能攻擊神經系統。

台大醫院小兒部主任 黃立民表示：「他的理由，是因為病毒會在鼻咽部、還有口腔、還有舌頭上繁殖，那可能是破壞了受體，或者是破壞了末梢的神經，造成感覺傳不進去。目前的結論就是說，這些人會不會恢復，現在不清楚，可是如果有人，有這些症狀，有這些表現的話，因為這個很特別，其他病毒幾乎都不會出現，如果有這種表現的話，一定要去驗一下，新型冠狀病毒。」

醫師提醒，民眾若發現有此症狀，可到醫院篩檢，而國際疫情嚴峻，台灣也處在關鍵的14天抗疫期，是否有"封城"的必要，感染科醫師直言，就算面臨大規模感染，封城的效果也不見得好。

中央疫情指揮中心諮詢委員 李秉穎表示：「如果是有一個，非常大規模的，不明傳染源的社區感染的話，所有的學校停課，或者是所有的辦公室，都不要上班，那大家儘量，在家裡面辦公事，這個是可能必要的手段。可是要所有的人都不可以出門，除了買民生用品以外，這個東西是有點太過嚴厲，而且也是不是很必要。」

醫師分析，一旦爆發大規模社區感染，最重要的是避免在室內，以及夜間的群聚活動，台灣目前還沒有走到這個階段，但仍提醒民眾出入公共場所一定要留意手部清潔。