This is an ABC podcast.

Anyone who knows me would say that I was like the most anxious, uptight person about, you know,

washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, masking.

Last year, when COVID first swept through the United States, Haley Cray

hunkered down. My partner and I had moved and were, you know, social distancing, keeping away from

family, friends, you know, isolating as best we could. My biggest outing was going to the

grocery store every week. So when her sinuses started hurting,

one day in December 2020, she didn't think too much of it at first. I was, you know, massaging my

sinuses. I was like, oh, you know, it's just a sinus infection. It continued going to work from home

until I had like curry for lunch one day and I'd been able to taste and smell my coffee,

my breakfast. And when I dug into my lunch that day, it was completely tasteless. And that was the

moment I was like, oh no, I need to call, get a test as soon as I can.

The test came back positive.

Haley had COVID.

Thankfully, she never needed hospitalization despite her asthma.

But nearly a year later, her sense of taste and smell still haven't returned.

I describe my world sometimes as like gray.

You know, there's none of those bright colors of smells or tastes.

It's just sort of like one flat canvas.

As COVID continues infecting people around the world, its potential long-term effects are a growing concern.

Much is still unknown, but one major study suggests a third of people who get COVID

will go on to develop a psychiatric or neurological condition.

...