Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 49-year-old woman who recently had COVID. When I was sick with it, I lost my sense of taste and smell. I no longer have COVID, but I still have a stuffy nose with no sense of taste or smell. Then one day, out of nowhere, I smell this horrible smell, like an infection. I went to the doctor and was told that it was a sinus infection. I was given 14 days of antibiotics.

I took my meds, and then when I thought all was better, nope! I was smelling this horrible smell again, only to be accompanied with some awful drainage. I blow my nose just to get milky lime-green snot. The smell comes and goes. Is this just a long-term side effect of COVID? — P.M.H.

Answer: I do not think that this is just COVID-19. The fact that the symptoms got better with antibiotics makes a bacterial sinus infection seem very likely.

It sounds as though your infection was incompletely treated. Sinus infections can sometimes be difficult to treat and require longer courses of antibiotics. I’ve even had a rare patient who required a sinus sampling by their ENT physician to determine the right antibiotic, while many of my patients have required a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis.

The odor and discharge are strongly suggestive of a bacterial sinus infection. COVID infections, like all viral infections, can predispose a person to bacterial sinus infections. Your regular doctor may need to consult with an ENT physician.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.