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“One of the most distressing aspects of living with long covid is the dismissive attitude of some doctors.” 1 This quote from Paul Garner in The BMJ resonates closely with views expressed by patients coming to terms with persistent olfactory dysfunction as a consequence of covid-19 infection. Loss of smell and taste is one of the most prevalent symptoms of covid-19 2 and the best predictor of covid status. 2 3 A substantial proportion of patients experience at least partial recovery of their loss of smell, but 10% report persistent loss eight weeks after onset. 4 Parosmia—distortion of the sense of smell that can severely impair appetite owing to familiar foods triggering a foul smell—also seems to be prevalent in patients with covid-19. It had already been reported by more than 50% of patients with post-viral olfactory loss before the covid-19 pandemic. 5 A similar disruption to normal life is likely to be found among patients …