According to a cross-sectional study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, taste dysfunction seems to persist after acute COVID-19 and may not necessarily be a result of olfactory dysfunction.

Among individuals who reported losing their sense of taste for months following a COVID-19 infection, 42% appeared to have true hypogeusia. Most patients with post-COVID hypogeusia were also found to have olfactory impairment, while around 3% did not have it, noted researchers.

Researchers assessed 105 patients with self-reported alteration in sense of taste that persisted for over 3 months after a COVID-19 infection. Around 94% of the patients self-reported an associated olfactory impairment. According to Taste Strips Score (TSS), the prevalence of hypogeusia was 41.9%. It declined to 28.6% when the scores were related to the individual’s age. Only 2.9% of the patients (3 out of 105) had hypogeusia and were normosmic on psychophysical evaluation… (Medpage Today)