It finally happened.
After days spent holed up in my Beijing apartment trying to dodge the novel coronavirus (or indeed any kind of illness), a couple weekends ago, I somehow managed to get sick. These were my symptoms:
Fever
Dry cough
Laboured breathing
Fatigue
Aching muscles
Now clearly these are classic symptoms of the flu and other common viral infections. And not having undergone any tests, I can't say for sure whether I had this new coronavirus, "COVID-19", or something more common. (Though I did have an influenza jab earlier this winter, so that seems a less probable culprit.)
Nevertheless, looking at the most recent medical information regarding the novel coronavirus, my symptoms seem to have ticked exactly the right boxes. And considering my experience in more detail, there were a number of distinctive features that make me think it could have been the new pathogen currently spreading itself around the human population:
It was certainly "novel" – I felt terrible and it was noticeably different to any cold or flu I've had before.
There was the sudden onset of a fever, characterised by a sort of buzzing or pulsating sensation all over my skin.
I alternated between feeling hot and cold in various parts of my body. (My temperature rose a degree and a half over a 24 hours period.)
I did not have a conventional sore throat but more of a mildly irritated, scratchy feeling in my upper airways.
There was a tight, sharp feeling in the lungs when breathing in deeply. This made me want to cough, though I tried to resist the urge to do so.
The cough was dry – no phlegm.
I became dehydrated and my body seemed to have difficulty retaining water.
I felt very tired despite not having done any strenuous physical activity that day.
In addition to those physiological effects, there was also an instant emotional side to the sickness. I felt confused and a bit spooked given events here in China and some of the horror stories circulating online. This anxiety sent my brain into overdrive making it hard to get to sleep for a good few hours.
The deceptively cute, crown-like appearance of coronaviruses (Scientist Magazine).
Instead, I did what every (ahem) sensible, self-respecting person does when they are worried sick at home – turn to the Internet for free medical advice... Here are some of the highlights from my search history that night:
"what does coronavirus feel like"
"who is worst affected by coronavirus"
"coronavirus death rate"
"actual coronavirus death rate"
"how long will I live after getting coronavirus"
"coronavirus survival chances"
"how not to die from coronavirus"
"how to write a will online"
Okay, that last one is not true. Yet I was clearly having some slightly dark thoughts.
I considered my family back home and whether I should contact them, ultimately deciding against it – I knew it would only make them and me more worried. I was already dreading what my parents would say: "Dan, why didn't you come home earlier? You've really got yourself into a pickle this time!" Besides, I thought, I should let them save their energy for the inevitable bumpy road ahead in England.
I also contemplated contacting the UK's consular service for British citizens in China, but again dreaded their auto-response which would probably have gone something like this: "Dear Valued Expat, unfortunately we changed our China travel advice weeks ago. Looks like you're on your own now. Good luck!!"
The UK government's travel advice for China, as of February 2020.
Deciding that these thought processes were probably not helping my chances of getting any sleep or recovering, I tried instead to relax my mind by catching up on some news. Unfortunately, I was met with a barrage of less-than-soothing headlines:
"Virus Situation in Italy Grave!"
"Coronavirus Spike Traced to Secretive South Korean Sect!!"
"WHO Considers Declaring COVID-19 a Global Pandemic!!!"
"This New Virus Will Wipe Out Humanity, Causing Next Mass Extinction!!!!!"
Coronavirus is a Real-Life Zombie Apocalypse Nightmare. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!!!!!"
Okay, okay. So maybe those weren't the exact words, but that's how I read them in my head.
Wherever I looked, I was falling deeper and deeper into a dark hole of panic-inducing web browsing. My virus recovery effort was taking off about as successfully as a recently-suspended international flight to mainland China. Eventually, I couldn’t fall in much deeper and had to come to terms with the fact that I may have contracted the dreaded coronavirus.
Even so, I took comfort in knowing that my chances of survival were high. And I managed to get a few hours of sleep, dreaming of a happier time before surgical masks, lockdowns and temperature checks.
The next day I rose feeling better though still tired and under the weather. My girlfriend realised we had some Yin Qiao traditional Chinese medicine, a formula including honeysuckle and forsythia which her mother swears by. After a few doses of this, topped off with some homemade chicken soup, I soon started to feel physically stronger.
The Yin Qiao medicine I took which seemed to speed my recovery (银翘解毒胶囊).
Emotionally, I was comforted by the knowledge of having a tailor-made, East-meets-West fusion of remedies. My Chinese friends advised me to drink hot water, while fellow expats suggested a hot toddy of single malt scotch whiskey with manuka honey. So I tried my luck with both.
Several days later and I felt like a new man, with none of the symptoms still present. All the same, I continued to monitor myself closely to see if anything returned. Since then, I have been even more disciplined to limit contact with others and wear a mask outdoors just in case I’m still infectious.
If indeed this was the novel coronavirus, then thankfully it was very quick and very mild in my case. In fact, it was a bit of an anti-climax after all the hype! Anticipating that I might need to get tested and/or treated at the local Infectious Diseases Hospital, I had seen a possible silver lining in the opportunity to conduct some rare, first-hand "research".
Alas, my illness did not escalate or last long enough to have that chance. But, in all seriousness, I am of course very relieved to be back to full health.
As the seasoned survivor of a coronavirus scare that I now am, the least I can do is offer a few tips to others based on my own experience. That said, please don't consider these a substitute for formal medical advice, which should always be sought from a public health professional.
Here you go:
1. Try to stay calm and positive
Falling ill during a major outbreak can be quite unsettling. It’s easy to get caught up in the panic generated by the press and on social media, and jump to conclusions before undergoing any diagnosis. But it needn't be like this.
Remember that the human body is a remarkable machine with an incredible capacity for fighting off hostile intruders. This ability is well demonstrated by the estimated 1-2% low fatality rate of the novel coronavirus. (While still inconclusive, the actual fatality rate may be even lower given that the vast majority – perhaps 80% – of cases are so mild they are probably going unrecorded.)
If your illness were to persist or produce more severe symptoms, take comfort in knowing that your local hospital is likely well prepared and equipped to provide you with any care required. Modern medicine is amazing, even when dealing with previously unknown illnesses.
2. Have a media detox
Resist the temptation to consume the constant avalanches of news regarding the coronavirus, especially if you’re already feeling under the weather. It will probably just make you more worried and will do nothing constructive to help fight off any illness.
Also, try not to fall into the dark hole of self-diagnosis symptom searching as I did. But DO seek advice from your doctor, hospital or health service provider if unsure. Otherwise, just watch football, read cartoons, listen to music or do whatever you find restful and relaxing, ideally offline.
3. Decide carefully whether or not to see a doctor
As with any illness, the only reliable way to get diagnosed is by seeing a doctor. However, don't call for an ambulance the minute you feel flu-like symptoms. Going to a hospital could expose you to more pathogens, panic and paperwork, probably doing you less good than simply staying home and resting.
Nevertheless, if you feel sure that you or a family member is having a medical emergency (like an extremely high fever or severe shortness of breath) and/or you have existing health conditions that make you especially vulnerable to an outbreak of this kind, then it’s critical that you seek professional medical attention without delay.
Above all, try to eat well, sleep well and stay as healthy as possible so that you are at full strength to fight off any infection that comes your way.
And finally, if all else fails:
Take care and thanks for reading.
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