While fever, cough and shortness of breath have characterized the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its list of common symptoms in late April to include a new loss of smell or taste.

According to Justin Turner, MD, PhD, associate professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and medical director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Smell and Taste Center, it’s not uncommon for patients with viral upper respiratory infections to experience a temporary — or sometimes permanent — loss of taste or smell, but th...