system is racing to adapt to how we can provide care that has to be
provided during the pandemic. We're all cognizant that in many com-
munities, hospitals are above capacity because of an influx of COVID-
19 patients."
Mani H. Zadeh, MD, FACS, an ear, nose and throat surgeon in Los
Angeles, began seeing a lot of patients — some of them fellow doctors
— complaining about the lack of a sense of smell in late February.
This was a frightening development because he knew it was a COVID-
19 symptom reported in France, Italy, Iran and elsewhere — and that
some of the physicians presenting with this symptom had been in
close proximity to patients with the coronavirus.
Dr. Zadeh originally prescribed nasal steroids, but then stopped
because rapidly emerging data said it was not an effective treatment.
He stayed in touch with the patients. Fortunately, none had other
symptoms of COVID-19 and all reported that they were feeling better.
Still, the current clinical climate is making doctors nervous, because
many of them have certainly treated patients who've had the virus.
"It's an odd feeling," says Dr. Zadeh. "You're working with doc-
tors you've known for years, and everyone is wondering if the
other person has it."
Mr. Poole says he's offered assistance to two nearby hospital sys-
tems and entered his facility's ventilators on a national registry. So far,
however, Monticello hasn't been a direct part of the COVID-19
response. He thinks it would make more sense for hospitals to send
non-COVID-19 cases to centers such as Monticello. "But I hope it
doesn't come to that," he says.
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