2010.13 LOOOOOONG COVID

It's difficult not to talk about coronavirus these days. It's on every news channel and is even seeping into dramas, only a matter of time before they make a movie about it.

What I have a problem with is how so many people a dismissive of the whole thing... "it doesn't kill as many as...", "I'm young so I'll be fine", "it only affects the poorly who'd probably die anyway", "it just like the flu", "we should all catch it and take our chances" or worse still "the virus doesn't exist, it's a government conspiracy". When I hear these (and others) it really makes my blood boil. They also say "do you know anyone who's actually died of Covid?" - yes I do as a matter of fact.

Then there's the blaming. "Its young people and the parties they keep having" or "those in the 40s and 50s are the worst" or even "old people who have their nose hanging out of their face masks". None of this is constructive or helpful, in the beginning we all banded together - clapping for the NHS and doing the shopping for our shielding family and neighbours. We need more of that (not the clapping, that was patronising) now.

It doesn't help that the advice and instructions are confusing and sometimes contradictory, local restrictions vary from region to region and change frequently. So how can we keep up? New regulations start tomorrow (Wednesday) giving us a 3 tier system of restrictions which seem to favour the south and hammer the north. Boris might have well have built a wall.

So what's this "long Covid" then? I've been reading with interest about those who have continuing issues long after contracting coronavirus. I'm interested because I believe I count as one of these people. Since developing symptoms back in March I've been left with worrying issues that never left. Mainly I get breathless really easily and can sometimes struggle to get my breath back after exerting myself. Sure I can still ride a bike and get about but I am feeling the effort a lot more that previously, especially in my lungs. I'm also tired regularly, not falling asleep tired, I'm still happy with 7 hours a night, but I get lethargic especially after a days work. I initially put tiredness down to the new shift pattern at work but I think it's more than that, especially since the shift pattern has been in place since February.

I never got a test when I developed symptoms (it wasn't available at the time) but I'm 100% sure of my infection. I'm not sure where this will go going forward and what the long term effects will be. I can only hope my lungs will eventually recover and I can get myself back to full health. In the meantime I've just booked an appointment to speak with a doctor.