A man who lost his sense of taste and smell after contracting Covid-19 has set up a support group for others suffering the same long-term effects.
Declan Cassidy contracted the virus after travelling to Berlin to see his girlfriend last March. When he recovered from the illness he discovered he had no sense of smell while using bleach one day to clean the bathroom.
Eight months later he still cannot smell or taste anything apart from chilies, and he now adds jalapenos or chili powder to all of his food in order to experience some sense of taste. "I turned to comfort food but that was like a slap in the face," he said. "Lasange tasted like warm mush." The 53-year-old said he looks at food differently now and relies on texture and colour to