STRIPPED
Text by MIA BALDONADO and ALLEGRA WEST
E
Art by SAMANTHA HO
COPING WITH THE LASTING EFFECTS OF CORONAVIRUS
VERY MORNING after waking who has suffered from one of the virus’s up, Rachel takes a whiff of her long-term effects — the inability to smell. favorite essential oil, Blue Tansy, Although COVID-19 is widely known as in hopes that she might have re- a disease that targets the lungs, it can also cause anosmia, the gained her sense of loss of smell, and dyssmell. Rachel, a Palo I remember specifgeusia, an alteration Alto High School in one’s perception in teacher whose name ically, we had some taste. has been changed to broccoli in the refrigA Scientific Amerprotect her medical ican article stated that history, describes this erator ... And he [her about 80 percent of routine over a Zoom husband] was gagCOVID-19 patients call, and smiles while smell disrecalling a particular ging because it smelled experience turbances including morning where she anosmia and dyscould smell just a so bad, and I couldn’t geusia. According to hint of that beloved, smell anything.” an article published fragrant scent. by Harvard Univer“It’s almost like — RACHEL, Paly teacher sity, anosmia occurs a little piece of my when SARS-Cov-2, nose started to work the coronavirus that again, like very lightly,” Rachel said. “And that was exciting. I causes COVID-19, infects olfactory supwas like ‘Okay, I’m not permanently dam- port cells and decreases their functioning aged, or I’m not like never gonna smell abilities. 2019 Paly alumnus Will Robins conagain.’” Rachel contracted COVID-19 in early tracted COVID-19 in September after December after a close acquaintance had coming into contact with other students at gotten it days before. She is one of many his college who had the virus; he suffered
16 FEBRUARY 2021
“
