Ask HN: Is a missing sense of smell still a good indicator that one has Covid?

1 pointSai_4 comments

And vice versa - if one can still smell things, can they conclude that they don't have Covid?

Not sure about the title but I can tell you that having a sense of smell is not a sign of being covid-negative. You can get 2 15-minute covid tests at walmart for 20 bucks

I’m aware that quick tests are available but this was just for my knowledge. My parents live in a place (not the US) where quick tests are harder. I wanted to reassure them.

Loss of smell (not the stuffy nose kind) is a good indicator that you have covid.

Not losing smell tells you almost nothing, especially since Omicron. Before that, even if it was frequent, most of the people with covid didn't have this symptom so it was only a weak indicator.

But speaking of reassurance, not losing taste and smell is great simply because you don't lose taste and smell. It is one of the most annoying "mild" covid symptoms. And severe cases are becoming less and less common.

Loss of smell was a symptom for some but not all. Smelling does not imply you are not carrying the virus. In fact you can have the virus with no symptoms at all, or have very severe symptoms that require hospitalization.

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