Royals’ Firsthand Experiences With COVID-19

Photo Credits: Charlotte Jordan '23

Charlotte Jordan ’23 and her family prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daniela Arias, Staff Writer
January 16, 2021

COVID-19 has infected around 2.51 million people in California alone, including myself and other Royals, who have also been directly affected by the virus.

Charlotte Jordan ’23 recounts the COVID-19 experiences of several family members within her household. She began by describing her mother’s experience, ” Her experience was much worse: she lost taste and smell completely, she had extreme fatigue and loss of breath, and she could barely move for about a week.”

Charlotte explained that since then her mom has recovered, but she still lacks the ability to fully taste and experiences shortness of breath at times. Both of Charlotte’s sisters, Clare and Lucy, had COVID-19 and experienced milder symptoms that felt like an intense flu.

Her grandmother was struck the worst by the virus and still continues to face instability two months after her diagnosis. Ultimately Charlotte shared, “My family’s seen both extremes, as my sisters were able to come out of COVID-19 relatively fine, but my mom and grandma could have lost their lives to it, so it really showed all of us the severity of the situation.”

Daniela Arias ’23 and her mother all smiles despite being quarantined due to COVID-19. (Photo Credits: Daniela Arias ’23)

My personal experience differed from Charlotte’s because my entire family was infected with COVID-19. My siblings and I experienced more mellow symptoms which included throat pain, sinus congestion, earaches, and fatigue.

Similarly to how my siblings and I experienced milder symptoms, my parents encountered more moderate COVID-19 symptoms. My father felt congestion and mild body aches, while my mother experienced a complete loss of smell and mild shortness of breath.

By far one of the individuals to experience the most intense symptoms within my family was my grandmother. Her symptoms even got to the point where she developed pneumonia and had to be hospitalized.

Although COVID-19 usually last up to 2-3 weeks, it can cause long-term debilitating effects on individuals and members of their family. On behalf of both Charlotte’s and my family, we implore you to please wear your mask and follow the CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19.