Coronavirus pandemic

[glenshena]

So glad Hughie. Try again next year!

[Meg]

So glad Hughie. Try again next year!

How are things with you in Italy Jean? We are still a couple of weeks behind you so things will be ramping up soon. We have a great neighbourhood scheme called Looking Out for Each Other - and leaflets have been distributed with a contact mobile number in case you are self isolating - and can arrange to have shopping picked up, mail posted, urgent supplies picked up or just have a friendly phone call. I’ve done my local streets so carting my mobile about with me everywhere I go! A massive street party when all this is over is being talked about - I’LL BE THERE

Hope you are ok.

Megx

[glenshena]

Not looking good I'm afraid Meg, in fact worse. After 15 days of staying indoors, we are all rather nervous and fed up. No sign of school restarting, and the children are really bored, even though lessons are arriving via internet. Parents are really stressed. Now they are talking about 15 April, but more likely May. Luckily it has been good weather up till now, and we have passed the time out in the garden, but with a change tomorrow for the worse for the whole of next week I don't know what we will do. All shops and businesses have had to close, including hotels, and we have one doctor a day dying with the disease, or heart attacks due to overwork. A terrible situation. There is no sign of improvement yet. I can't see it finishing anytime soon. They talk of having used certain pills with success before finding a cure so hopefully we shall have less deaths. It's unbelievable the number of people who are dying every day. Hopefully when they discover who is responsible for this virus they will be punished accordingly. Our lives have been taken from us.

[Meg]

Not looking good I'm afraid Meg, in fact worse. After 15 days of staying indoors, we are all rather nervous and fed up. No sign of school restarting, and the children are really bored, even though lessons are arriving via internet. Parents are really stressed. Now they are talking about 15 April, but more likely May. Luckily it has been good weather up till now, and we have passed the time out in the garden, but with a change tomorrow for the worse for the whole of next week I don't know what we will do. All shops and businesses have had to close, including hotels, and we have one doctor a day dying with the disease, or heart attacks due to overwork. A terrible situation. There is no sign of improvement yet. I can't see it finishing anytime soon. They talk of having used certain pills with success before finding a cure so hopefully we shall have less deaths. It's unbelievable the number of people who are dying every day. Hopefully when they discover who is responsible for this virus they will be punished accordingly. Our lives have been taken from us.

Oh Jean, I am so sorry to hear this. It must be horrendous to feel like that in the face of this invisible enemy. Please keep in touch with your 3t family and let us know how you are doing - as I said, we are only a couple of weeks behind you - our schools closed today and cafes, bars and restaurants are due to close this evening. God willing, things will get back to whatever the new normal is by the start of summer. Keep well, Megx

[Hughie]

From my cousin's boy Kevin in the UK - hope this might in some way help others.

Covid-19 & update on where I am:- At this moment, I feel I am starting to recover. I have managed to keep my temperature down for 48 hours now, but still displaying all the other symptoms (aching joints, headache, tiredness, dry cough, tight chest). I phoned my GP for guidance regarding symptoms and he has confirmed that going by what I described to him I have coronavirus and should continue to isolate for the remainder of the 14 days (A week tomorrow). If I still feel the same at the end if this period I should call 111.

Antibiotics will not cure the chest problem as its not bacterial (no phlegm being brought up when coughing). The symptoms may persist long after the viral infection has gone and providing the high temp and chills don't return I should be OK to return to work unless the government guidelines change between now and then.

Now, let me appeal to your common sense. When I became ill, it hit like a lightning bolt. One minute I was fine, and the next I was shivering uncontrollably. This is not an exaggeration! I literally could not stop. I was hot to the touch but still felt freezing cold. I took to bed to try to keep warm as the shivering continued. I hardly slept that first night but finally dozed off. When I woke up the bed was soaked in sweat and I was still shivering. I had a pounding headache and all my joints ached right down to my fingers and toes. I had a hot shower but the shivering persisted and I was still hot to the touch. I then developed the dry cough and couldn't stop. This felt like I had a hair in the back of my throat which, when coughing aggravated it further and made me gag. But as nothing was there, nothing would come up. No phlegm , no fluid of any kind except when I wretched that much from coughing stomach bile would come up into my throat.

The first two to three days were the worst, then the coughing started to subside slowly. All the other symptoms remained but the high fever and chills along with the cough lessened and up until today have not returned. The dry cough is still here along with the aches and tight chest. But the fever has gone.

THIS VIRUS IS REAL PEOPLE! I consider myself lucky to have contracted what I consider a mild strain of it but please, DO NOT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED! It knocked me for six in how quickly the virus developed, and it honestly scared me how quickly it took hold. Please, if you yourself or anyone you know have felt ANY of the symptoms that I displayed in the first 24hrs, SELF ISOLATE! Don't carry on regardless you could be putting someone vulnerable in a very dangerous situation.

EVERYTIME YOU TOUCH A DOOR HANDLE OR WORK SURFACE WASH YOUR HANDS! USE HAND SANITISER WHEREVER POSSIBLE AND IF YOU COUGH AT ALL TRY TO USE A TISSUE. AT LEAST COVER YOUR MOUTH AND THEN WASH YOUR HANDS! Please don't take it for granted and think you'll be fine, think of others and the risk you could be causing to their health and underlying conditions you might not know about. Most of all, thanks for taking the time to read this, it could help save you or someone you love!

[Meg]

From my cousin's boy Kevin in the UK - hope this might in some way help others.

Are you putting this on your FB Page Hughie - this is the best description I’ve read so far. Thanks for sharing.

Meg

[Hughie]

Yes! Just done that, Meg.

[John Donnelly]

Hughie,

has your relative any idea from where/who he contracted the virus? I'd be very interested to know, so that we can avoid such a thing.

JD.

[Jim McCreadie]

Here in Australia, the problem is not so much panic-buying as one of restocking. The majority of Councils have restricted hours of operation when large trucks can move through their streets so as not to disturb residents with engine and air brakes noise.
Annually, Australia produces three times as much food as it consumes and has it’s own toilet paper manufacturing factories. If you need 144 rolls of toilet paper for a 14-day quarantine, you should have been attending a Doctor long before COVID-19!

[bonzo]

Here in Australia, the problem is not so much panic-buying as one of restocking. The majority of Councils have restricted hours of operation when large trucks can move through their streets so as not to disturb residents with engine and air brakes noise.
Annually, Australia produces three times as much food as it consumes and has it’s own toilet paper manufacturing factories. If you need 144 rolls of toilet paper for a 14-day quarantine, you should have been attending a Doctor long before COVID-19!

[gnyaff]

Just read your post on your predicament Hughie, very sorry to read that. I think you may be over the worst and better times are ahead.

I did read earlier when the virus was still in its earlier stages in China that a young Welshman who was there drank a Toddy every day and it helped him recover.
For those who don't know what a Toddy is, its a cup of hot black tea with a tablespoon of whisky added and a tablespoon of honey, stir well and drink before going to bed. One every day won't do any harm. My Grandfather and father swore by it and my father didn't drink except when he had a Toddy.
I have now got the wee wummin drinking one every night, and she has been teetotal all her life.

Best wishes to all and please do what you can for yourself and your loved ones to stay safe.

Wee Boney and the Wee Wummin

On a lighter Note: Why are so many people hoarding toilet paper?

Every time some one sneezes ten people shit themselves.

[Hughie]

Hughie,

has your relative any idea from where/who he contracted the virus? I'd be very interested to know, so that we can avoid such a thing.

JD.

My cousin's son said:

I could've caught it anywhere unfortunately.