Fever checks can't catch all Covid-19 cases. Smell tests might help

Airports, restaurants, and retail stores have started to use temperature checks to see if a person has a fever — and therefore possibly symptomatic for Covid-19 — but the technique is notoriously unreliably. Increasingly, experts are suggesting that smell tests ought to also be part of routine screenings. Research suggests that the loss of smell, called anosmia, is an even earlier symptom of Covid-19 than a fever, and some people who never go on to develop a fever still lose their sense of smell. “[I]t’s potentially a more sensitive screen for asymptomatic patients,” Mayo Clinic physician Andrew Badley tells STAT's Sharon Begley. Read more here.

Here's what else is new with the pandemic today:

The U.S. hit a new single-day record, posting nearly 53,000 new Covid-19 cases yesterday. The surge was largely driven by states in the South and West, prompting several states to reverse course on reopening plans. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that bars, movie theaters and other public places for at least three weeks, while New York City delayed indoor dining as part of its reopening plan.
There were 122,300 additional deaths between March 1 and May 30 this year than is typical for those months, possibly due to Covid-19, according to a new study. That figure is 28% higher than the official death tally for Covid-19 reported during that time because these deaths happened before diagnostic tests were widely available in many states to confirm any presence of SARS-CoV-2.
An experimental vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech generated immune responses in volunteers enrolled in a 45-person trial, according to data shared on the preprint and non-peer-reviewed site medRXiv. The vaccine also triggered side effects such as fever and sleep disturbances, especially when it was given at higher doses.
People began limiting their movements even before statewide restrictions were put into place, according to a new study of the 25 U.S. counties hardest hit by Covid-19 through April 20. New York City saw a 35% drop in regular movements, as tracked through phone data, while Harris County, Texas, saw a 63% drop in regular movement.