UK: After COVID recovery, woman develops ability to smell for 1st time since childhood

A COVID-19 patient after recovering from the virus has been able to smell for the first time since childhood. Nancy Simpson from London, who is 25 years old, grew up without a sense of smell, The Sun reported. However, she was surprised over Christmas when was able to smell everything around her.

Reportedly, Nancy Simpson stayed at home over Christmas and was isolated in her room. Simpson told The Sun that she was surprised to realise that she could now smell everything. She used to taste before but was not able to smell things. She is happy that she is now able to smell everything and is now filling her home with scented candles and using perfumes. Furthermore, she is now able to smell the fragrance of fruits and herbs while cooking in the kitchen. It is pertinent to mention here that losing smell (anosmia) is a common symptom of COVID-19. 

Taste expert calls the case 'fascinating'

Dr Jane Parker, a taste and smell expert at the University of Reading, told The Sun that the viral infection might affect nerves in the nose which does not result in sending the right signals to the brain. Dr Parker added that most of the people after recovery can smell, however, some of the people suffer long-term or even permanent changes to their smell or taste. She called Nancy Simpson's case "fascinating" and insisted that she did not know any similar case in the United Kingdom. 

COVID-19 situation in the UK

According to UK Health Department, as of 5 February, 84,053 COVID-19 cases have been reported, taking the total number of cases in the country to 17,689,885. Around 254 deaths were reported due to COVID-19, taking the total number of fatalities to 157,984.

According to the UK Health Department, the total number of people who have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is 52,399,031 while 48,520,513 people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Furthermore, 37,458,017 people have received the booster dose of the vaccine.

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