Sense of smell - Covid or Common cold

[Yoffel]

Daughter has a cold. Sneezing, blocked nose, sore throat, bit of a cough (wouldnt call it ‘continuous’). No fever.

Blocked nose means she can’t smell anything. She says everything tastes normal.

I’ve kept her off today but think I might be overreacting. Not been able to get either a drive in or home test.

Don’t know what to do. If she’s feeling better tomorrow should I send her in???

The loss of smell related to covid is not due to a blocked nose. Your dd doesn't sound like she needs a test. Yes if she's feeling OK tomorrow I'd send her to school

Thanks! That was my inclination too but good to get another view.

I think smell and taste are interlinked and not due to blocked nose. I keep meaning to get a private antibody test as I'm convinced I had it in February: before it was known as a symptom, I completely lost my sense of smell and taste (also has a cough but not v bad) and it was unlike anything I've ever experienced: literally no smell or taste, everything was just texture. Normally when you lose your sense of smell/taste you can pick up sharp flavours, or that something is sweet, this was nothing at all.

What you're describing sounds like a cold.

My past two colds which were last year resulted in me having no sense of taste or smell. The last one was for three weeks to the extent I ended up sobbing at the GP as it's so disconcerting. He helpfully said it could last forever so that was nice. Came back slowly but was back within 6 weeks at full power. All was well before Covid

Oh and I didnt have a blocked nose when it went.

Are you sure it was a cold virus? Maybe not Covid, but a different type of virus nevertheless? If it came on suddenly it certainly sounds similar to what those with Covid have experienced according to this:
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-53810610

Obviously the fact that it was last year rules out Covid.

Unless.....
you didn’t visit Wuhan shortly afterwards did you?? You don’t think that....It couldn’t possibly mean that you start...ed.....the....

That's interesting @worriedmama1980. I'll remember this if it happens again, hopefully it won't!
I'm just recovering from a heavy cold and cough where I lost my sense of taste and smell and I think it was just the congestion doing it as I could still get the taste of salt or sugar, just not the actual food.