Many Nigerian COVID-19 survivors treated and discharged from isolation centres say they are yet to regain their senses of taste and smell weeks after they were discharged.
Some of the survivors said they were worried about the loss despite being cleared of the virus.
Narrating her experience to our correspondent weeks after testing negative for the virus, Mrs. Lucy Okechukwu, said, “Loss of sense of taste and smell is one of the symptoms that I experienced when I tested positive for COVID-19 in June.
“Around May 25, I visited the hospital where we registered for the National Health Insurance Scheme to complain about a consistent headache, slight sore throat, fever, loss of appetite and extreme body weakness.
“A widal and malaria test was conducted and the malaria test came back positive. I was given a dose of injection and antimalarial drugs.
“Three days into the medication, I lost my sense of taste and smell. Every food or edible became tasteless, my environment was odourless, and I was still feeling unwell.
“Just about the same period, my husband also said he could not taste or smell anything. Thereafter, we were sent for COVID-19 test and the result came back positive.
According to her, during the period, every food and drink became tasteless.
“I do not like chewing raw ginger or garlic, except when cooked but when I was advised to chew, I did and I did not get any taste, not even the peppery taste of ginger.
“On my sense of smell, I love perfumes but I did not perceive the fragrance even when I brought it very close to my nose.
“I also rub the popular balm, Abonliki, inside my nose and I did not sneeze or shed tears as usual”, she said.
Okechukwu added, “Those were some of the indicators that got me worried because they were consistent while in the isolation centre.”
