300,000 Swedes believed to have impaired sense of smell due to COVID-19

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 300,000 Swedes suffer from an impaired sense of smell due to COVID-19, Swedish national TT News Agency reported on Sunday.

According to the report, queues are long for clinics that offer treatment for the condition in the country. With around 10 million inhabitants, Sweden has only two such clinics, of which the newest opened in September at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge near the capital city of Stockholm.

According to the latest statistic released by the Swedish Public Health Agency on Friday, nearly 1.166 million coronavirus cases had been confirmed since the pandemic started. The total number of deaths was approaching to 15,000.

The country has seen a slight increase in the number of new cases since the restrictions, such as limited number of participants in public spaces and restaurants, were lifted on Sept. 30 together with the advice to wear face masks and if possible work from home, but there are currently no plans to tighten restrictions.

However, rules about testing are still in force, although will be relaxed on Nov. 1, and those who have not been vaccinated are advised to take the same preventive measures as before.

Meanwhile, 84.7 percent of the population aged 16 and older had received at least one dose of vaccine, while 80.1 percent had received two doses.