The slow recovery of the odor of Covid patients

L ‘coffee aroma. The choice of tea or herbal tea. The bark of a clementine. Humus wet from an autumn rain. A glass of wine and cheese. The scent of a loved one. Your scent. The smell of something simmering – or burning … Suddenly, nothing. Zero. To find out, you will smell the cat litter, the garbage can, an ashtray … Still nothing. The sign does not lie: most likely you suffer from anosmia, a sudden loss of smell which is one of the frequent symptoms of Covid, now recognized by the World Health Organization, as well as by our Sciensano public health institute. The symptom alone is sufficient to request a test reserved in Belgium for symptomatic patients. But also, above all, to isolate oneself while waiting for the result … which has a strong possibility of being positive.