Loss of taste or smell during COVID-19 infection is a sign of strong immunity, medical researchers at Columbia University have found. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE. As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, impaired sense of smell and taste were identified as a key symptom of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and were seen in 40-60% of those who became ill. Researchers examined 306 patients, 291 of whom reported loss of smell or taste. The researchers found that the odds of antibody formation were 1.98 times higher among those who reported an altered sense of smell and 2 times higher among those who had an impaired sense of taste compared with patients who did not suffer from these impairments. "The results of our study suggest that loss of smell and taste during COVID-19 infection is a strong predictor of a robust immunologic response," the researchers said. In the future, the scientists want to evaluate the level of antibodies formed in patients with olfaction and taste disorders after vaccination.