" Parosmia distorts your taste and smell. A cup of coffee, for instance, might smell or taste like garbage. Farknot Architect/Shutterstock It became obvious to Atlantan Mark Byrd last February that he, his wife and young daughter had come down with COVID-19. All three got sick and lost their sense of smell — one of the hallmark symptoms of the coronavirus. Byrd had a nasty bout with the virus, but nothing bad enough to send him to the hospital. His wife required a monoclonal antibody infusion because she is immunocompromised, but eventually, all three recovered. His wife and daughter regained their sense of smell, but he didn't. "At the time, I just didn't think too much about it," he says, assuming he would sooner or later.