Day 4

Friday, March 6th

Do not think I have ever been in for this long….I love the look of my garden….lots of messages on the self-isolation chat….No PHE contact yet….I want to go out…but can’t…Ann suggested we go out for a walk but I can’t…as per self-isolation guidelines…She suggests that we go out in the evening when no one is around….but the guidance says I need to be in…it didn’t go into the specifics ..but essentially I should stay indoors and be self-isolated….I specifically asked the Post Grad person about this…I said that if I went for a walk…in the evening…I would ensure I was greater than 2m away from other pedestrians….crossing the road if necessary…and I definitely would not be with them for greater than 15 minutes…as is the requirement for self-isolation…however the post-grad person said that this was discussed with senior management and we should not be leaving the house…They went on to say if someone took a photo of me and sent it in then I could be in trouble….really??? I am well and this is not of my doing…I am not claiming to be sick…..Could I go out in disguise….I accept in principle the rules of self-isolation, however, I am breathing in the same air as my wife in the house, sharing the same bed and as yet we have had no problems….although because of this issue, and on reflection of the 2m rule, we are now sleeping apart…the 111 people told Ann that she did not need to self-isolate from me either as long as I do not have symptoms…I accept that if I do, I would have to move rooms….but until I know for sure, I guess I had better get friendly with the spare room….Although I do think that there is no evidence base for situations like this and it is ‘general’ advice…This is such a grey area and having an impact on many people….For example, a colleague at work has isolated herself from her family by practically living in the conservatory whilst her two kids and husband are living in the house. Her husband and family have been very supportive as well as her husband’s employers… who have allowed her husband to go into work later so he can take the kids to school…other family members have been helping too…In my case, I have asked my 19-year-old to come back from London on Sunday as it will be Day 5…and if I haven’t got any symptoms…

The WhatsApp group is rapidly turning over with everyone’s experiences….I find that not only us doctors have a group chat, but the nurses involved also do as well. They have all been told that they will be paid for the two weeks…which is great news….I also get an email from my Educational supervisor to ask me if I am ok…and if I need anything then they would be there to help….I am very grateful for this…I explain that I have still not heard from PHE…and a colleague has just informed me that the Lead Employer would like us all to get official medical sick notes from a doctor….now how are we supposed to do this…I cannot leave my house, the GP cannot come into my house, and I am asking for a retrospective medical sick note…and all this would only add extra pressure onto a very stretched primary care service….Ann (my wife) tells me that 111 are so stretched that they are not taking calls as they are being overwhelmed with calls. If people have flu symptoms, then they should go to the website and seek further advice. I have asked my educational supervisor to kindly assist with this…surely this is unprecedented times and the Lead Employer may need to review this.

Meanwhile, in the news, Boris Johnson has said that £46m will be spent on developing a vaccine for coronavirus https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51771116 Apparently, a laboratory in Bedfordshire has developed a test, which could provide results within 20 minutes. Similar to a pregnancy test, it would use a swab of saliva or a pinprick of blood. The lab already has experience of creating similar tests for Ebola, yellow fever and measles. Existing tests can take a couple of days to provide results, as they rely on samples being sent away to a lab for analysis. However, the BBC said that the test could still be six months away….

Elsewhere the Premier League and EFL have said pre-match handshakes between both teams and officials will not take place until further notice because of fears over the spread of coronavirus https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51760339. ….. Whilst The @NHSuk https://twitter.com/NHSuk?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
and @DHSCgovuk https://twitter.com/DHSCgovuk?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
are encouraging traveling fans and the general public to maintain good hygiene to avoid possible infection or spreading of the coronavirus. Although this is highly commendable, I think someone has overlooked the fact that football is a physical game…with plenty of collisions, players spitting and blowing off nasal discharge on the pitch, players hugging each other when celebrating (doubt there will just be mild clapping…after the 3 minute VAR delay, of course), sharing bottled water…Then there is the ball itself…how many people will have touched the ball for throw-ins, corners…but of course…no shaking hands right at the start hey?

Talking about football and as a Liverpool fan, I was interested to see the response, Jurgen Klopp (manager of Liverpool) gave when asked his opinion on Coronavirus…He basically responded saying that his opinions should not be considered as he is a football manager and not an expert in this area…the worry he had was that if he provided unqualified advice then people would take what he said seriously…when in fact they should be taking the advice of professionals… I think this was a correct stance taken by the Liverpool manager…I also think that the media should refrain from asking celebrities their advice on matters such as this and leave it to the professionals. If I need football advice, I would ask Jurgen Klopp…

There are now 163 cases have now been reported as of today however sadly there was another death attributed to coronavirus https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-second-person-in-uk-dies-from-infection-report-11950969 ..Thoughts are with him and family.

So what have I done today? I have caught up with my e-portfolio work relating to my job, gave the house a good clean and watched Icarus https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333060/
It’s a fascinating insight into the doping issues within sport. What starts out as a film director attempting to explore the role of doping to win an amateur cycling event…but whilst researching the issue, it turns out he meets with someone who unravels a larger international doping scandal….well worth a watch…if not to see at what lengths people will go to in the pursuit of success

Meanwhile, with my fellow self-isolators, there were bigger issues….Turns out when a major supermarket delivers groceries to the house, they are not allowed to leave alcohol or medicines on the doorstep….which now means that we now have to ask relatives or friends to do the job…. Another impact on the household. I am very lucky that Ann can get the shopping in..

I have to admit, I am beginning to feel a bit frustrated being stuck in the house….If I was unwell, I probably would have not noticed as I would have been medicated up and in bed…I am an outdoor person who loves walking….and going to the gym…I notice on the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/ It states the following, “For some people self-isolation can be boring or frustrating. You may find your mood and feelings being affected and you may feel low, worried or have problems sleeping. There are simple things you can do that may help, such as staying in touch with friends and relatives on the phone or by social media and you may find it helpful to talk to them if you want to.” It then refers the reader to the following website, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/ ….It is easy to recommend staying in touch via social media etc….after all we also have a WhatsApp group…as well….but I do not do staying in a building 24/7…although I am not in a prison, or staying as an in-patient with a hospital, this experience has given me an insight into what it must be like for these individuals…all I think is about is the word ‘institutionalization’, despite being able to complete many of the tasks I have been wishing to complete, watching some TV, I am not enjoying this.
Ann gets back home after getting some dinner…. Tesco’s doing a deal…’a meal for two for a tenner’…chicken chasseur, chunky chips, crumble and a bottle of Rose…now that is what the doctor ordered… We sit to watch the film “The art of racing in the rain”….a sad film but nice ending.. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478839/

Still haven’t heard from PHE…although at 0945hrs I get a text …yes a text from PHE. It reads as follows

“Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Public Health England will be texting you to check that you are well and symptom-free. Please text ‘REPLY’ within the next hour to confirm receipt of this message”

I do this and after an hour I get the same message again. So I reply…but I am too tired so go to bed….Most of my colleagues on the WhatsApp group get a message too but some do not….

Football shirt of today on twitter from my friend on the #SelfIsolation Groupchat…A generic 1988 adidas goal keeper’s shirt. This guy has so many shirts he could have his own exhibition at the National Football museum in Manchester.