Covid: A friend of mine thought the pandemic was overblown until he got infected – Steve Cardownie

No one is any doubt that their dedication and devotion to patient care is incredible and this bonus will go a little way to recognise this.

I have had some close hand knowledge of the symptoms of this disease when a friend of mine recently contracted it and spent an extremely uncomfortable couple of weeks getting over it.

Up until then, he was sceptical that the pandemic was as threatening as the media made out and he longed for the hospitality industry to be freed from its shackles and allow him to resume the lifestyle to which he had comfortably been accustomed.

As a responsible citizen, he observed the new rules around mask-wearing and social distancing but still thought that they were, in the main, unnecessary.

Then the unthinkable happened and he was diagnosed positive. Extreme fatigue, a rasping perpetual cough and a non-existent appetite followed and remained with him for nigh on a fortnight. He is now a firm believer that the government’s rules are there for a very good reason and said that he would not wish the disease “on his worst enemies”.

He was one of the lucky ones as many have perished at the hands of Covid-19. With a vaccine on the horizon, it would be extremely foolish to now take a gamble when the end is in sight. NHS staff have enough on their plate.

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