it’s common to lose your sense of smell after having a virus or upper respiratory tract infection, and as COVID-19 (also known as Coronavirus) is a viral infection it may also cause post-infectious loss of smell.
A recent press release from ENT UK and the British Rhinological Society tells us that,
“Post-viral anosmia is one of the leading causes of loss of sense of smell in adults, accounting for up to 40% cases of anosmia.
Viruses that give rise to the common cold are well known to cause post-infectious loss, and over 200 different viruses are known to cause upper respiratory tract infections.”
It goes on to state,
“Previously described coronaviruses are thought to account for 10-15% cases.
It is therefore perhaps no surprise that the novel COVID-19 virus would also cause anosmia in infected patients.”