Early in the pandemic, anecdotal reports started filtering through that COVID-19 could cause loss of smell.Īt first, it was hard to know how much weight to give these stories - after all, anyone who's had a headcold or the flu knows you can lose smell for a couple of days while your head's blocked up.īut pretty quickly, experts realised the smell loss associated with COVID-19 went beyond simple nasal congestion, and it's now officially recognised as a symptom of the disease.Ī global group of researchers, including Australians, is now taking a close look at how coronavirus can lead to smell loss.