Nancy Simpson from London, UK was born and grew up without a sense of smell. However, unexpectedly, after she had been ill with COVID-19, she suddenly became able to smell.
“I stayed at home over Christmas, isolating in my room, and one day I realised I was able to smell everything," she said, as quoted by The Sun.
She added that now she really is enjoying smelling fruits, candles, and using herbs in cooking.
As the sense of smell is linked to taste, now Nancy Simpson can enjoy the full flavour of food.
Loss of smell is one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19, usually occurring within the first week.
This occurs in 75-80% of patients who show symptoms and is presumably due to the fact that the virus infects the supporting cells of the olfactory epithelium, which surround the receptor neurons responsible for the perception of odours.