Back in February, I experienced a new and persistent cough. It was accompanied by a feeling of overwhelming tiredness. And in the weeks and months that have followed, my admittedly ageing joints have ached like never before. I remember pointing out to my partner, with great pride, how impressive my immune system must have been in confining what was obviously a virus to a mere cough and not much more. I had already been aware of COVID-19, or the coronavirus as we then knew it, but we had not been told about any of the symptoms that might suggest I had it. But the virus wasn’t coming to the UK because, as with Swine flu and SARS, they never did. So it didn’t occur to me that I might have had COVID-19. But I might have done.
If we had been testing for COVID-19 back in February, given that I had at least one of the main symptoms, I’d have had to self-isolate for two weeks, but I didn’t. In fact, as the weeks went by, testing was abandoned by the government so we had no idea just how widespread the virus had become. For now, that’s by the by. I’d have been sent for a test, too, as would have been God knows how many other people with whom I came into contact. Now that COVID-19 is resurfacing in large numbers, throughout the world, should we be concerned?
The virus arrived in the UK during the tail end of winter and most places were shut down. Many of us, except essential workers, were told to stay at home to stop spreading the infection which had already spread through the population. We did worse than almost every country on earth and today we are faced with an excess death total of some 70,000 excess deaths. Our relative isolation and the adoption of social distancing slowed the spread and eventually the infection rate and death toll started to fall. We spent a lot of time outside where, it appeared, the virus was far less effective. Now, we are in autumn. It’s going to be colder, darker and we will be staying at home more often. Children are, thankfully, going back to school and some form of normality is returning. The big question is this: how long will this new normality last?
We have heard from the government that children at school will be in ‘bubbles’. What I didn’t realise was that these bubbles could consist of around 300 children. What are the odds that some of them will develop a cough or a cold? Then what? Do we send them all for testing? Do schools send everyone home? We know that children are unlikely to die from COVID-19, but how about older teachers? And how about family members who live with or visit their children? You can work out the possibilities for yourself.
And most of us get winter coughs and colds. How do we know that that cough isn’t COVID-19? If we have a new and persistent cough, do we self-isolate and then get a test? Boris Johnson says offices are safe, but come on: I have worked in, or from, offices since 1974. We pass on germs to our friends and colleagues, always have done. Those of us with asthma often splutter and cough during the cold winter months. More self-isolation, perhaps, and another test? My God: we will need testing centres of every street corner.
Whilst we are on the subject of schools, let’s consider universities. If you have children who are at or have been at university, you will know about so called ‘freshers’ flu’. It isn’t really flu but – and here we go – students often suffer from new and persistent coughs, high temperature and in some instances a lost of taste, which in Bristol explains why so many students are seen drinking Magners or Strongbow. No taste involved there. Students will still live in cramped student accommodation, the poorer the student the more cramped the accommodation. In short, young people will be super-spreaders, which is all well and good between themselves, but maybe not so well and good for the rest of us.
It’s entirely possible that we will get through the winter, with few mishaps, that schools and universities will stay open throughout and we’ll all – or hopefully most of us – live happily ever after. The virus could begin to lose its lethal impact, science might come up with vaccines and treatments, but that’s just coulds and maybes. The reality could be an even worse version of what we have already been through and with a government as woefully incompetent as this one, who’d bet against that?
Ever since this horrible virus was visited upon us, all I ever wanted was for us all to get through it. Not all of us did get through it, though, and COVID-19 is still very much with us, lurking in every pub, every shop and every school. My main concern is what happens this winter. Freshers’ flu, real flu, COVID-19 and bog standard coughs and colds with all be with us, some will be mild, some might kill us. It’s the not knowing which is which that I sense will cause the biggest problem of them all.
