COVID-19 and Loss of Smell and Taste

Early in the pandemic, up to 80% of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 reported smell loss. In many cases, smell loss occurred in patients who were otherwise asymptomatic or presymptomatic. Most patients recovered their sense of smell within 10 days but some were left with long-term smell loss. Similarly, a large percentage of patients reported loss of taste associated with COVID-19, but most recovered their sense of taste within 4 weeks. As different SARS-CoV-2 variants became dominant, the incidence of smell and taste loss declined (e.g., higher with the Delta than the Omicron variant). Persistent anosmia is more common than persistent loss of taste, but improvement has been shown even in those with anosmia 2–3 years post-COVID-19 infection.