Monday 13^th April

A very moving story from a “Covid-19 Widow” on Radio 4 this morning. She and her husband contracted Covid-19, her husband had difficulty breathing, and was hospitalised. For a week he was isolated in hospital, no family able to visit, until the hospital called his wife to report that he was critical. Since she now had post Covid-19 immunity, she could be with him, although it seems not in the same room, conversing through a microphone/speaker. Their sons could only communicate from their homes via WhatsApp. The widow described her last few hours with her husband, him barely able to breath and deteriorating, no-one able to ease the distress. She described a Covid 19 death as “a difficult, not peaceful” death. Now she is at home “not lonely, but very alone”, with no-one to give her a hug. For us Coronavirus is merely an inconvenience, and we hope it stays that way. For others it is tragically life changing. We get worrying news from dog-walking friend Amy. Last Monday we decided not to meet up, since her eight-year-old son had a cough over the weekend. He developed full symptoms, which has been confirmed as Covid-19. We all met a few times during the previous week, carefully socially-distancing, but her son and I “litter-picked” together on Croft Hill, occasionally getting closer than we should. If Chantal or I develop symptoms as a conseqence it is likely to be by next weekend, 14 days after last contact. This afternoon we walk the half-mile or so to Croft in bright sunshine, dappled by spring foliage, meeting just one couple, with just one car passing. The countryside is deserted.

Posted: Tuesday, April 14th, 2020
Category: News and Views from the Oakstump
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