Soon after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic began to unfold, an altered sense of smell and taste was quickly identified as one of the most common yet unusual symptoms. Our previous 2020 correspondence reported typical nasal manifestations of other upper respiratory tract infections, such as rhinorrhea, to be uncommon in patients with COVID-19. 1 This was followed by the addition of this symptom to the clinical profile to screen for COVID-19 by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. 2 A novel SARS-CoV-2 B. 1.1. 529 variant of concern, designated Omicron, was reported in November 2021, with initial cases reported from South Africa but with scientists quickly identifying the variant all across the globe. Compared to previous variants, Omicron has proven to have much higher transmissibility and infectivity but reduced tropism for the lower airway. 3

A study by Nicole Wolter et al. reported a significant reduction in disease severity and hospitalizations in patients infected by the Omicron variant, which has been born out in global data reported since that time, likely owing to the high frequency of mutations in the spike glycoprotein. 4 Although real-time emerging data have confirmed a spike in the number of infections worldwide, a relatively lower rate of severe COVID-19 has been observed, probably due to a combination of growing vac-