About 18% of people getting a Covid19 infection in the UK, develop anosmia (loss of their sense of smell) as a symptom. Some of this cohort later develop paraosmia, a distorting of the olfactory sense, where normally pleasurable odours smell disgusting or repulsive. A study at Reading University, identified 2-Furanmethanethiol as a chemical producing this changed sensation (
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/25/scientists-identify-trigger-molecule-for-covid-related-changes-to-smell). 2-Furanmethanethiol occurs in coffee. It, unsurprisingly, smells like coffee or popcorn. Ten percent of people, developing anosmia after a Covid19 infection, found the smell of 2-Furanmethanethiol repulsive, in the condition's immediate aftermath (they had paraosmia). This rose to 47%, 6-7 months after the onset of their viral infection. The Covid19-related effects on the olfactory system appear to be progressive and long-lasting. It will be interesting to see whether perceptions of other chemicals also change. The smell of coffee is, afterall, something to which most people in the UK are routinely exposed.
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