Is COVID a Real or Just the Flu?

The flu can take away your sense of taste or smell, according to a 1988 Los Angeles Times article. That's the only thing people were holding on to in regards to is COVID a real or is it just the flu? Right there. This isn't why they had to make the COVID symptoms exactly like the flu symptoms. Everything's the same. It's genius. Because anytime, because it seems like China, they, they do COVID's all the time.