DANGEROUS, DEVASTATING AND A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY HERE AS NEWS REPORTER JENNIFER MECKLES
.
BUT HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU
HEARD THE WARNING A FIREFIGHTER
REMINDING YOU TO CHECK YOUR
SMOKE DETECTOR?
THERE'S STILL A BIG PERCENTAGE
POPULATION OUT THERE THAT DOES
NOT KEEP THEIR SMOKE DETECTORS
AND CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
UP TO DATE.
OH, BATTERY EASY TO IGNORE
UNLESS YOU CAN'T COUNT ON YOUR
NOSE.
YOU USE IT MORE OFTEN THAN YOU
THINK.
CAN'T SMELL THAT SMOKE THAT GAS
OR ANY OTHER TROUBLE IN YOUR
HOME AND THAT CAN BE DANGEROUS
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR
SENSE OF SMELL AND THERE'S
SMOKE OR FIRE IN YOUR HOME, IT
CAN BE VERY, VERY DANGEROUS.
THIS SCENARIO DOESN'T SEEM ALL
THAT FARFETCHED TO ADAMS COUNTY
FIRE CAPTAIN FRANK ROTELLO.
IT HAPPENED THE FIRST OF JULY
COMING BACK FROM A CAMPING
TRIP, BELIEVE IT OR NOT WITH
MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
LIKE MANY PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH
COVID19 ROTELLO FELT FLUEY ACHY
,FATIGUED.
HE ALSO LOST HIS SENSE OF TASTE
AND SMELL.
THERE WAS JUST A SUDDEN STOP
OF EVERYTHING.
THERE WAS NO I CAN SMELL
ANYTHING.
IT WAS LIKE IT WAS WEIRD LIKE
YOU'RE IN A BUBBLE AND NO NO NO
NO FUN SENSES FOR FOOD.
NO NO SATIATION INVOLVED.
SO IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT NOT
JUST HIS FOOD, HIS JOB CHANGED
TO WE USE OUR NOSES PRIMARILY
TO TRY TO LOCATE OR FIND
THE PROBLEM AND HAD TO RELY ON
MY CREW AGAIN FOR THAT CAN
SMELL THAT GAS THE SMOKE FOR
TWO MONTHS ROTELLO HAD NO TASTE
AND NO SMELL AND NEARLY SEVEN
MONTHS LATER THOSE SENSES STILL
HAVEN'T FULLY RETURNED WHICH IS
KIND OF A BIG PROBLEM FOR HIS
OTHER JOB.
LUCKILY I WORK FOR AN ITALIAN
WINERY AND I'VE BEEN WITH THEM
FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS.
I HAVE A SMALL CERTIFICATION, A
SOMMELIER, A WINE EXPERT JUST
LOOKING AT THE COLOR JUST
GETTING ANNOYED.
ANOTHER JOB WHERE ROTELLO
REALLY NEEDS HIS NOSE INITIALLY
I GET FRUIT, I GET RAISIN,
I GET APRICOT AND IT'S NOT
AUTOMATIC FOR ME ANYMORE SO
I GOT TO DO IT A COUPLE
OF TIMES LOSING TASTE AND SMELL
ALSO MEANT LOSING THE JOY
OF WINE.
I USED TO TAKE HOURS SHOPPING
FOR WINE OR GO IN AND LOOK FOR
SOMETHING SPECIFIC.
LOOK AT ALL
FINDING
FINDING OUT REGIONS AND WHAT I'M DOING AND NOW IT'S JUST IMOBDEN PAST.
I'M JUST GOING TO GET A RED I'M
NOT THAT SPECIFIC ABOUT IT
ANYMORE BECAUSE I KNOW I'M NOT
GOING TO GET THE SAME EFFECTS.
I'M NOT GOING TO GET THE SAME
ENJOYMENT OUT OF IT.
THE ESTIMATES SAY THAT ANYWHERE
FROM ABOUT TEN TO FIFTY PERCENT
OF PEOPLE CAN HAVE LOSS
OF SMELL IN PARTICULAR AND
POSSIBLY ALSO ASSOCIATED LOSS
OF TASTE.
NINE HEALTH EXPERT DR PIKOLI
SAYS THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM A
STUFFY NOSE OR A COLD.
SO WE'RE THINKING THAT IT COVID
IS HAVING SOME EFFECT ON
THE RECEPTORS IN YOUR NOSE THAT
HELP YOU PERCEIVE THE SENSE
OF SMELL SO IT'S HAPPENING IN
YOUR NOSE BUT YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY
PERCEIVING THE LOSS OF SMELL IN
YOUR BRAIN.
IT'S FIRST EVIDENCE THAT COVID
MAY BE CAUSING NERVOUS SYSTEM
TOXICITY FOR THE RED WINE.
ALSO INTERESTING TO SCIENTISTS
HOW LONG THIS SYMPTOM LASTS
WEEKS FOR SOME PATIENTS, MONTHS
FOR OTHERS.
I DO GET HINTS OF RED FRUIT IT
BUT IT'S INDISTINCT.
I CAN'T GET THE FRUIT OUT
OF THIS.
SO IT REALLY DOES BEG
THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THIS IS
SOME SORT OF SEMIPERMANENT OR
PERMANENT POTENTIAL EFFECT
OF THIS VIRUS THAT COULD BE
LINGERING IT IT'S GETTING
BETTER, RIGHT?
THIS ONE IS PROBABLY 70 PERCENT
ROTELLO IS NOW RELEARNING
RETRAINING HIS SENSES.
IT'S FRUSTRATING BECAUSE
I DON'T KNOW IF OR WHEN IT'LL
ALL COME BACK OR HOW LONG IT'S
GOING TO TAKE ME TO RETRAIN
MY SENSE OF SMELL FOR THAT.
BUT YOU WON'T HEAR THIS
SELF-DESCRIBED WYNFORD
DEFINITELY A WINE NERD, THIS
FIRE CAPTAIN COMPLAINING BEING
IN MY LINE OF WORK WE SEE SO
MUCH BAD THINGS IN DEATH
DESTRUCTION ALL THE TIME AND SO
FAR IS AS BAD AS IS COVID IS
FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I'M STILL HEALTHY IN LOSING
THESE SENSES.
HE HAS GAINED A PERSPECTIVE IF
I HAVE TO FIGHT THROUGH THIS TO
GET BACK TO NORMAL AND THAT'S
THAT'S ALL THAT HAPPENED TO ME.
I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY WITH
PHOTOJOURNALIST'S FOSTER GAINS
.
JENNIFER MECKLES 9NEWS WHY NERD
LOVE IT.
OK, BOTH ROTELLO AND DR.
KOTALIK POINT OUT THAT THIS
STORY IS REALLY A WARNING TO
ALL OF US EVEN IF YOU'RE YOUNG
AND YOU'RE HEALTHY AND YOU BEAT
THE VIRUS THIS PARTICULAR
SYSTEM SYMPTOM RATHER CAN
LINGER FOR A LONG TIME AND LEAD
TO OTHER SERIOUS ISSUES AND
ROTELLO IS ALSO A FIREFIGHTER.
SO HE SAYS WHILE