Loss of smell = brain infection? Not so fast … It is now well-established that one of the most frequent symptoms of COVID-19 is the loss of smell. When the new coronavirus infects the nasal epithelium, does that mean that the virus can travel along the olfactory nerve into the brain? Recent publications make it sound as if this has been proven: “Olfactory transmucosal SARS-CoV-2 invasion as a port of central nervous system entry in individuals with COVID-19” and “The olfactory route is a potential way for SARS-CoV-2 to invade the central nervous system in Rhesus monkeys”. Such publications and the attention they have been getting in the media are sufficient grounds to instill fear in COVID-19 patients who have lost their sense of smell. If the virus has impaired their sense of smell, does that mean that the virus is also present in their brains – just waiting to …