“Ecuadorians are also near the top in searches for fever, chills, and diarrhea,” notes the NY Times.
According to The New York Times, Ecuador is the second country to register a Google search for Covid-19 symptoms. The search for “I can’t smell” is about 10 times higher in Ecuador than in Spain.
For data collection, searches for the phrase “I cannot smell” have been considered, because, according to scientific evidence, “anismia” or loss of smell is a symptom of Covid-19, after which almost 30% 60% with a positive diagnosis experience this symptom.
“I can’t smell” searches are about 10 times higher by Google search in Ecuador than in Spain, despite the fact that Ecuador officially reports more than ten times fewer cases of Covid-19 per capita than Spain does. Ecuadorians are also near the top in searches for fever, chills, and diarrhea, ”notes the NY Times.
As of April 8, 2020, Ecuador registers 4,450 infected cases, 242 deceased and 240 people who probably died from COVID-19.
The American newspaper indicates that “searches like” I can’t smell “are particularly useful because the form of the query suggests that someone may have the disease, while other queries related to loss of smell may suggest curiosity.”
In addition, this article explains that Ecuadorians carry out more searches related to “loss of smell” than any other country in the world within Google’s total searches.
Ecuador is the country with the highest per capita rates in South America, but remains at a lower rate of confirmed cases in relation to the United States, Canada, Australia, Iran and most of Europe.
Source: El Mercurio, The New York Times
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