Yes, loss of taste is still an official COVID-19 symptom, but it happens far less often than it did early in the pandemic. The CDC continues to list “new loss of taste or smell” among the possible symptoms of COVID-19. What has changed dramatically is how common it is: current Omicron-lineage variants cause taste and smell problems at rates two to ten times lower than the Alpha and Delta variants that dominated in 2020 and 2021.
How Common It Was vs. How Common It Is Now
During the first waves of COVID-19, loss of taste and smell was practically a hallmark of the disease. Roughly 80% of people infected with the original strain or the Alpha variant reported some change in their sense of smell or taste. That number dropped sharply with Delta and then plummeted with Omicron.
A systematic review and meta-analysis covering 32 studies found that Omicron caused smell dysfunction at rates roughly ten times lower than earlier variants. In one large UK dataset, 13% of Omicron patients reported smell or taste problems compared to 34% of Delta patients. A German study showed an even steeper drop, from about 67% with earlier variants down to 24% with Omicron. Some studies from India and Bangladesh found the rate had fallen to near zero. Since every major variant circulating in 2024 and 2025 descends from Omicron, these lower rates reflect what most people experience today.
Why COVID Affects Taste Differently Than a Cold
When you have a stuffy nose from a cold or the flu, food tastes bland because congestion blocks airflow to your smell receptors, and smell accounts for much of what you perceive as “taste.” COVID can do something more direct. The virus’s entry point, a receptor called ACE2, is found throughout the lining of your tongue and mouth. Interestingly, research has shown that the virus doesn’t appear to infect the taste bud cells themselves. Instead, it targets the surrounding tissue, the non-taste cells that form the surface of the tongue. The resulting inflammation and damage to those supporting cells disrupts normal taste signaling indirectly.
This is part of the reason COVID-related taste loss feels different from what happens with a regular cold. People often describe it as a complete absence of flavor, not just a muting. Some experience distorted taste, where familiar foods suddenly taste metallic, bitter, or simply wrong. That distortion, called dysgeusia, can appear days or even weeks after the initial infection.
COVID vs. Flu: Taste Loss Is Still More Common With COVID
Even with Omicron variants driving rates down, COVID remains significantly more likely to affect your taste and smell than the flu. A 2023 analysis of over 100 healthcare organizations found that the three-month incidence of smell and taste disorders was about 0.73% in COVID patients compared to 0.1% in influenza patients. That makes taste and smell problems roughly 11 times more likely after COVID than after the flu. So while the symptom is less frequent than it used to be, it remains one of the features that distinguishes COVID from other respiratory infections.
How Long Taste Loss Typically Lasts
For most people who do lose their sense of taste, recovery happens relatively quickly. Studies from earlier in the pandemic found a median recovery time of about 10 days, with 79% of patients regaining taste within two months. People with moderate taste loss tended to recover faster, averaging around 8 to 9 days, while those with severe loss took closer to two weeks or slightly longer.
Current variants generally cause milder sensory symptoms, so recovery times today are likely shorter for most people. That said, the severity of taste loss during the acute infection matters. If your taste disappears completely rather than just fading, recovery tends to take longer.
When Taste Changes Persist for Months
A small but meaningful percentage of people experience taste problems that drag on well beyond the acute illness. In one study that followed patients for roughly eight months after infection, about 18% still reported some form of taste alteration. These weren’t always a simple absence of flavor. Many described distorted tastes: coffee tasting like chemicals, meat tasting rotten, or a persistent metallic flavor that wouldn’t go away.
These prolonged symptoms can appear as part of long COVID, and they don’t always start during the initial infection. Some people notice taste distortion weeks or months after they’ve otherwise recovered. The pattern suggests ongoing inflammation or slow nerve repair rather than active viral infection. Overall, about one-third of patients in longer-term studies reported some persistent change in smell or taste at the eight-month mark, though the numbers are smaller when looking at taste specifically.
What to Watch For Today
If you suddenly lose your sense of taste during a respiratory illness, COVID is still a more likely explanation than the flu or a common cold, especially if the loss happens without significant nasal congestion. That said, it’s no longer the red-flag symptom it was in 2020. Most people infected with current variants will have a sore throat, cough, fatigue, or congestion as their primary symptoms, and many will never notice any change in taste at all.
If your taste doesn’t return within a few weeks, that’s worth paying attention to. Persistent distortion, where things taste wrong rather than absent, tends to be the more stubborn problem. Smell training, which involves repeatedly sniffing strong familiar scents like coffee, lemon, and eucalyptus, has shown some benefit for people with lingering sensory symptoms, since smell and taste recovery are closely linked.