London woman describes catching COVID-19 in Italy

A London girl who contracted coronavirus throughout a 28th birthday journey to Italy has been self-isolating since four March.

However earlier than her prognosis she got here into contact with a number of individuals, together with her boyfriend and sister, who at the moment are additionally in isolation.

Asking to stay nameless, she tells Sky Information about her expertise – and what it feels prefer to have COVID-19.

I travelled to northern Italy on the 15th February and stayed till the 23rd. I used to be principally based mostly within the Romagna area, and there have been some instances of coronavirus within the neighbouring Lombardy area, however life was carrying on as regular.

There have been some safety checks at their airport – I used to be scanned by individuals wearing fits with masks and gloves who have been checking temperatures as we arrived in Bologna. However I wasn’t checked once more once I left and I wasn’t checked once I arrived again at Stansted on the 23rd.

Key Factors

• Mass gatherings within the UK shall be banned from subsequent week beneath plans being drawn up by ministers
• The London Marathon is amongst a lot of sporting occasions cancelled
• Anybody coming into New Zealand should self-isolate for 14 days
• US President Donald Trump has declared the outbreak a national emergency
• Greater than 145,000 instances and nearly 5,500 deaths have been declared worldwide, in response to Johns Hopkins College

I used to be staying with mates for a part of my journey, and I believe I could have gotten the virus from them as a result of once I left them on the 19th the little woman, who was three, developed a really excessive fever and was sick for 4 days.

She went to the hospital they usually despatched her dwelling with treatment and advised her that she did not must get examined for coronavirus. Her mom’s additionally sick in the mean time.

After I got here again on Sunday 23rd the area wasn’t locked down, and I felt effective, so I simply carried on as regular.

Then on Monday once I was at work – I work in a faculty – my boyfriend despatched me a information article and mentioned individuals getting back from northern Italy had been advised to self-isolate.

I advised my employer they usually advised me to go dwelling instantly, so I phoned NHS 111 and advised them the place I might been.

The recommendation at the moment was that individuals ought to solely self-isolate in the event that they’d been to the quarantined areas (which I hadn’t) or had signs.

So the subsequent day I went again to work and simply made positive I did not hug or contact anybody as NHS 111 had mentioned I ought to keep in mind I used to be within the incubation interval and that I ought to ring them once more if I developed signs.

However I felt effective in order that night I went out for dinner with my boyfriend and my sister.

It took almost per week earlier than I seen something and once I did it almost went unnoticed as a result of my signs have been so gentle. If I hadn’t travelled to Italy I would not have known as 111, I’d have simply handed it off as a chilly.

The very first thing I seen was sore legs like somebody was squeezing my calf muscle tissue, which I believed was odd as a result of I hadn’t been to the fitness center.

Then I had a sore throat, which lasted for 3 days, after which disappeared.

After which on the 4th of March I actually struggled to get up within the morning.

I used to be so drained. I wasn’t coughing, I used to be simply actually drained and I believed it was resulting from me having loads of work on.

That afternoon once I got here dwelling I fell asleep and once I awoke I had a fever. I rang 111 once more they usually advised me to self-isolate.

It’s important to keep in isolation till you are examined, so on the sixth March they mentioned it might be effective for my boyfriend to gather me and take me to hospital as a result of we would already been involved.

We drove to the coronavirus testing place at St George’s Hospital. After we received there we stayed within the automobile.

We rolled down the window and a nurse got here out totally coated in gloves and a masks.

She took a protracted cotton swab, moved it across the again of my mouth and thru to the again of my nostril and that was it.

That was the check. Not even two minutes. After which we drove off.

My boyfriend wasn’t allowed to return to work after he drove me to my testing appointment, however he hasn’t been examined but as a result of he does not have signs.

He additionally wasn’t advised to self-isolate till I came upon I positively had it, and it took 5 days for my outcomes to return by way of.

So as soon as I received my outcomes he rang 111 they usually advised him to self-isolate for 10 days. However he nonetheless hasn’t been examined as a result of he does not have signs.

My sister might need it, she’s additionally in self-isolation in the mean time as a result of she has flu-like signs. However none of my flatmates have signs so they do not should self-isolate.

Public Well being England says it’s important to keep in isolation for 14 days after the signs begin, so I’ll be allowed out on the 18th.

I believe the very first thing I’ll do is simply go to a park and go for a stroll.

It is clearly a virus that may unfold very simply however I do not need individuals to be too afraid of it because the signs differ a lot from individual to individual. I am younger, I am 28, I stay a wholesome way of life, I received off very frivolously.

However I stay in shared lodging with 4 different individuals, so I had to make use of the kitchen after them and had to make use of the toilet after everybody else had used it.

And I needed to clear the toilet and all of the surfaces I had touched within the kitchen and needed to keep a minimal of two metres away from my flatmates.

It grew to become actually lonely. It makes you realise how social human beings are and the way a lot we want bodily contact.

If I might have my sister or anybody near me proper now I’d simply need to give them the largest bear hug as a result of it is simply so onerous.

I all the time left my curtains open and the home windows open simply to get some recent air and by about day 5 I wanted I used to be a chook that might simply fly out the window!

I do not know anybody else who’s positively received coronavirus, however I think about much more individuals will get it and it’ll differ from individual to individual.