ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently revealed that he still is suffering from COVID-19 symptoms five months after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
- Herbstreit said on Twitter: “Been 5 months since I tested positive for Covid. Still can’t taste or smell. Anyone else experience this?? Did it ever come back?? Haven’t tasted a meal since late December. After 5 months...is this my new normal or will taste and smell come back???”
Been 5 months since I tested positive for Covid. Still can’t taste or smell. Anyone else experience this?? Did it ever come back?? Haven’t tasted a meal since late December. After 5 months...is this my new normal or will taste and smell come back???
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) June 1, 2021
Per USA Today, Herbstreit covered the College Football Playoff semifinal last season between Clemson and The Ohio State University while he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Losing the senses of taste and smell are symptoms of long COVID-19, which is something people have suffered from the beginning of the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently shared a full list of long COVID-19 symptoms.
But experts remain unsure about how long COVID-19 impacts people. Dr. John Brooks, chief medical officer for the CDC’s COVID-19 response, told CNBC that “long COVID” still needs to be researched.
- People suffering from long COVID-19 may be “having symptoms you haven’t had before, something new following COVID (such as) chest pain, difficulty breathing, you can’t get your thinking clearly, you’re just not getting better the way you thought you should, have a low threshold to seek care,” Brooks said at a recent hearing with the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to CNBC.