Loss of smell and taste is more severe in Covid-19 patients than in patients with common colds and that could be due to the effect the coronavirus has on the brain and nervous system, British researchers reported on Wednesday. … Philpott and his colleagues studied smell and taste function in 10 Covid-19 patients, 10 acute cold patients and 10 healthy people who served as a control group. The researchers not only found that the smell and taste function of Covid-19 patients was significantly worse than in both the cold patients and the healthy individuals -- but also the ability to detect sweet and bitter tastes was particularly impaired in Covid-19 patients.