After COVID-19, millions experience persistent issues with their sense of taste or smell.

You had Covid, but your sense of smell is still bothering you? You are not alone.

The practise of safety precautions and immunisation have helped to some extent to restrict the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). But the virus is still present. Globally, there are still new cases appearing, with certain nations—like China—reporting an alarming surge in cases.

The lethal virus’s long-lasting effects are still affecting millions of Covid patients. The effects of long-Covid are being studied by specialists and researchers.

According to a study that was released on Thursday (July 28), roughly 5% of individuals with verified instances of Covid are thought to have experienced a permanent loss of taste or smell.  Such cases are potentially contributing to the burden of long Covid.

One of the main signs that can be used to identify Covid is the loss of scent. However, experts are investigating how frequently or for how long these symptoms can remain.

However, in the most recent study, which was published in The BMJ (the British Medical Association’s peer-reviewed medical publication), researchers compared the results of 18 earlier investigations on the loss of smell and taste. 3,700 patients participated in the research, which were carried out across different continents and across various demographic groupings.

According to the study, approximately 75 percent of people who experienced taste or smell loss recovered their senses after 30 days.

But it was also found that 4% of individuals had not regained their sense of smell six months after catching the virus. Although, it was unclear if this represented a full or partial recovery.

The study also estimated that 5.6% of patients may still experience a loss of scent. However, 4.4% might not completely regain their sense of taste.

It was a ‘strong and essential study,’ according to immunologist Danny Altmann of Imperial College London. Altmann is not a part of the investigation.

Studies like this one, he added, ‘alert us to the hidden burden of patients who are suffering from persistent symptoms but may not have thought it worthwhile to approach the GP on the premise there wouldn’t be much to be done.’

Which Covid version the patients contracted was not disclosed in the data.