From the beginning of the pandemic, one of the most common—and straight-up weirdest—symptoms of COVID-19 has been the virus's tendency to cause a loss of taste or smell.

Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

Loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia) are symptoms that were identified in COVID-19 patients at the early stage of infection.

According to John Hopkins Medicine, "symptoms can range from the not being able to smell or taste at all to the reduced ability to smell or taste specific things that are sweet, sour, bitter or salty.

Sixty-eight percent of them said they lost their senses of smell or taste during the illness.

Having that genetic variant increased the risk of losing taste or smell by 11%.

The researchers aren't sure exactly how UGT2A1 and UGT2A2 are involved, but they may influence the makeup of those nasal cells and their ability to either withstand or be affected by the COVID virus.