'I Could Barely Move': Sputnik Press Officer Shares His Experience of Contracting COVID-19

© Photo : Sputnik ImagesSputnik News Agency in Edinburgh
Sputnik News Agency in Edinburgh - Sputnik International
Subscribe
A press officer working for Sputnik News UK has revealed his experience after testing positive for Covid-19 less than a fortnight ago. Speaking from his home on the East Coast of Scotland, Chris Brown describes the fears and sheer anxiety he felt before being diagnosed with mild symptoms of coronavirus.

Sputnik: Could you describe the symptoms you had and what was going through your mind before you tested positive for COVID-19?

Chris Brown: Before anything else, I had a slight cough. At first you just put it down to a cold or the time of year so I wasn’t worried at all. Then within a few days, I felt so fatigued I could barely get out of bed – my throat felt like I was swallowing knives and then my temperature became unbearable. I had been on public transport the week before and had been in the supermarket quite a lot so your mind starts working overtime, thinking about have I picked this up. It took about 5 days from these first symptoms before I started to feel truly awful. I knew I needed to speak to the NHS for advice but I could barely move let alone speak to anybody I think that’s when I knew I had contracted it.

Sputnik: How long did it take you to get a diagnosis for the coronavirus? Did you feel like you were waiting long for support?

Chris Brown: My friend who is a pharmacist advised me to phone the NHS immediately. I couldn’t have anybody come around and help me but I had friends and family sending me as much information as possible because as ridiculous as it seems I didn’t have the energy to look online for symptoms and what to do. I barely had the energy to read what they were sending me. I realised I had to phone the NHS and they couldn’t have been more helpful. I spoke them through my medical background and symptoms and they talked me through what I should do. That if my temperature spiked and went above a certain temperature I had to seek medical help. When that happened, I was told instantly to completely isolate myself for an absolute minimum of 14 days.

© Photo : Sputnik ImagesSputnik News Agency in Edinburgh
'I Could Barely Move': Sputnik Press Officer Shares His Experience of Contracting COVID-19 - Sputnik International
Sputnik News Agency in Edinburgh

Sputnik: In your view what was the contact like between yourself and the NHS? Where there any problems or difficulties that you faced for example?

Chris Brown: The NHS are doing everything they can. I think the fact that people are clapping them on Thursday’s evenings speaks volumes for the work they are doing. They’re working so hard with the resources they have and I don’t know what else they could do. The advice they have given me has been extremely helpful and the guidelines they have given me to follow have helped a lot. I can’t begin to emphasise how important it is for everybody to isolate now and follow the rules that have been set in place for everybody. I have never experienced such a horrible illness and even now I’m still struggling. It’s not something that just goes away overnight. I fear that if people don’t heed the warnings that we have been given then the NHS will continue to be stretched and people will continue to die.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала