The way we sense odours is through a cluster of nerve cells called “olfactory sensory neurons”, which are located high up at the back of the nose in a structure called the olfactory bulb. The good news is that various studies have suggested that for people whose olfactory perception has been damaged after a viral infection, repeated short-term exposure to smells can help them to recover. Studies suggest that up to half of infected people temporarily lose their ability to perceive smells, although this may be as high as 67% in those with mild to moderate infections – possibly because they tend to be younger, and may be more sensitive to altered olfactory perception. Loss of smell is a strange and distinct feature of COVID-19, so much so that it is considered a better predictor of whether someone has been infected than other common symptoms, such as fever or coughing.
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