The virus that stole all the smells

In this edited extract from The Forgotten Sense, Jonas Olofsson traces the rise in anosmia as a result of Covid-19 infections.

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There were early reports that the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus affected the sense of smell. However, this was not something that was initially given much attention. The loss of smell was initially thought to be similar to that which occurred in colds, where nasal congestion and mucus secretions help to disrupt the sense of smell.

But eventually it was realised that the new virus was different. It was more aggressive and seemed to lead to an immediate, complete elimination of the sense of smell.

Olfactory scientist Danielle Reed estimated in February 2022 that the Covid-19 pandemic might have left 20 million people with a permanently impaired sense of smell. We smell and taste researchers quickly came together to meet this new challenge. In March 2024, I participated in a videoconference on the new reports, along with hundreds of smell and taste researchers. My colleagues from Europe and the US created an effective organisation and, just one week after the meeting, the number of participants had grown from 100 to nearly 500.

The team created a survey that asked participants if they had experienced symptoms of the disease in the nose and throat, and if their sensory abilities had changed as a result of the disease. Thanks to the commitment of the various participants around the world, the survey was soon translated into 35 languages and published online. I did the Swedish translation together with my colleagues, and we could soon see how more and more Swedish participants reported a loss of sense of smell.