For most patients, the loss faded within weeks or months. But for a smaller group, taste never fully returned. Even years after infection, certain flavors remain muted or completely absent.

COVID is known to cause changes in taste, and they can linger even after other symptoms have resolved.

AURORA, Colo. (Jan. 29, 2026) – Scientists have identified molecular and structural changes in taste buds that may explain why a small subset of people experience long-term taste loss after COVID-19 ...

By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD Even after the virus disappears, some people continue to experience altered taste. New research suggests that subtle molecular changes in taste receptor cells, not visible ...

Some individuals have experienced a loss of taste long after a COVID-19 infection has subsided. Researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala University and the University ...