Five months after contracting Covid-19, “ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit still can't smell or taste anything”
Kirk Herbstreit was diagnosed with Covid in December: Photo Getty
… “After 5 months...is this my new normal or will taste and smell come back???”
For those Covid-19 deniers, the story of a nationally-known broadcaster is resonating throughout the sports world. Kirk Herbstreit is an Emmy-award winning sportscaster for ESPN, but since earlier this year, he has suffered from the remnants of the coronavirus.
That became all too clear last week when he tweeted that he was still suffering from the devastating effects of the disease.
While Herbstreit, a former quarterback from Ohio State, not America’s favorite football school, is often controversial in some circles, many still felt sorry for the essence of what he said.
The Tweet
Herbstreit made his dilemma known to the public last week in something that shocked many people since his Covid diagnosis was late last year,
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???
He is obviously eating, but what is frightening is trying to eat without tasting the food. However, that is what many Covid sufferers had to go through. Some actually had to go through this for quite a while, but five months?
Background
Herbstreit played for the Ohio State Buckeyes form 1989 until 1993 under Coach John Cooper. He passed for more than 1,900 yards his senior season, when he was a co-captain.
Herbstreit has been with ESPN for the past 25 years and has won five Emmys for his work as both a studio analyst and a game broadcaster.
He has been an analyst on College GameDay and has broadcast games with play-by-play announcers Chris Fowler for many years.
The ESPN color man had to do a remote broadcast of the college playoff game last season with his alma mater and Clemson because of his diagnosis with Covid.
He is married and the father of four children.
Losing taste and smell can be very serious for some
Generally, the loss of smell and taste is not a major problem like the one that Herbstreit is facing.
However, that depends, and the return of it or any other long-term effects are not known,
Outside of the more serious symptoms connected to the coronavirus, a loss of taste and smell is one of the more common side effects of the virus since the pandemic began last year.
According to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, up to 80% of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus have had “subjective complaints of smell or taste loss.”
The severity of smell and taste loss will differ between individuals — some have lost it completely while others only noticed minor changes — which makes it difficult to determine how widespread this symptom actually is. And, as smell is necessary to actually taste, the two symptoms are often connected, per the report.
It’s also unclear how long those symptoms last after recovering from the virus. Some regain it almost instantly while others, like Herbstreit, take much longer.
Ryan Young, “ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit still can't smell or taste anything
5 months after COVID-19 diagnosis,” Yahoo Sports, June 1, 2021
Regardless of your love or dislike of Herbstreit, all should hope that people who have such a reaction to Covid would recover quickly.
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