COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 Part 1
The COVD-19 Pandemic is an unprecedented global event and the way day to day life has changed so rapidly over the last few weeks is deeply unsettling. Hence I’m writing this recurring post as a coping mechanism; a means to process what is happening and observe how society is reacting to the ongoing crisis. And first off, let me state that I’ve already spoken to two people today, who do not see a Global Pandemic as being a crisis. Yes because we live in a post truth world where some people labour under the delusion that all opinions are of commensurate value, there are still people who “feel” that this is all an overwrought brouhaha. I suspect “crazy people watch” may become a major part of my writing. So where to begin exactly? Well I guess the best thing to do is to explain what my personal situation is.
I live in South East London. Bexley Borough is your archetypal middle-class suburb. It grew over the first three decades of the twentieth century offering family homes, good schools and plenty of parks and recreational land. And it has continued doing this. It is a wealthy Borough with an ageing population. 17% of the 280,000 residents are over 65. Politically this is a Conservative Party safe seat and as you may expect, the electorate were predominantly in favour of Brexit. I have lived here for most of my life and am therefore very familiar with its facilities, resources and denizens. As of the time of writing (early morning on Saturday March 21st) there are 31 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the Borough. It was 5 this time last week.
I live with Mrs P in a Bungalow. It is an ideal size for the pair of us and the lack of stairs suits her health needs. Mrs P currently has two fused vertebrae in her neck and has been in continuous pain for the last 3 months. She also has a heart condition and underwent triple bypass surgery in 2017. She had further heart issues this January and is still under the care of the cardiovascular clinic. Hence she is in a high risk group for COVID-19. My parents are similarly in a high risk group. They live one road away along with my Sister. She is currently working from home, so for the present I have reduced the time I spend tending to my 90 year old disabled Father. Despite the ongoing crisis he is still receiving two visits a day from the District Nurse and carers. Without their assistance he would get ill very quickly. I only recently discovered he is on the “critical medication” list with the Central Access Team. My disabled Mother is currently in Respite Care for two weeks at a local Nursing Home.
For the present, I am restricting my journeys out to checking with my Father and Sister, essential shopping visits and collecting prescriptions from the Pharmacist. Mrs P may move in with my Son next week and provide childcare for our two Granddaughters, now that the schools are closing. This will be for no more than two weeks and then my Son, who is a “key worker” for TFL, should go on leave. However, for the last two weeks, shopping has proven increasingly difficult due to panic buying from certain quarters of the community. What started out as a run of toilet paper a week ago has now spread to a wider range of products. As of today my local Co-op supermarket looks like it has been robbed. However, as I tend to go shopping every day, I’ve managed to ensure that both households have adequate stocks of essentials. I’ve also ensured that all necessary repeat prescriptions have been filled or are pending at the Doctor’s Surgery.
And this is one of two issues that concerns me at present. I have no problem with the idea of eating less and rationing my food intake. If anything it will do me good as my weight has gone up of late. It is access to medical services and medication that plays on my mind. In the last week the Pharmacist no longer allows customers direct access to the entire shop. A reception area has been created and only 4 customers are allowed in at a time. They either drop off or collect their prescription. If they want anything else the staff have to get if for them as access to the shelves is now prohibited. This is a necessary precaution but it greatly slows down the flow of customers. Due to increased pressure on staff, the turnaround time on repeat prescriptions has gone from 3 to 5 working days. Furthermore, the local Doctor’s Surgery has suspended the booking of all appointments and the walk in clinic. Calls are screened to focus on priority patients and telephone triage is used for intermediate conditions.
Finally, my second concern at present is my Mother. As I mentioned she is currently in a local Nursing Home for two weeks respite care. Since she was discharged from hospital at the start of February it has been intensive work caring for her. Her lack of mobility means she needs continuous care throughout the day. Hence my Sister and I were most grateful to have a reduction in our caring duties with her being away. At present she is scheduled to return home on the 30th of March. This presents some problems. I shall have to break my scaled self isolation to visit her on a daily basis. My Sister is working from home and due to the nature of her job, will be genuinely working 9 to 5. So it will fall to me to do as much as I can. My Mother’s return will also mean the reinstatement of 4 daily carer visits. Effectively the increase in people coming to the home will put all concerned at greater risk. There’s a possibility that if events get worse, the Nursing Home may go into lockdown with all who are currently there, staying put. This would keep my Mother safe in a secure environment indefinitely but I cannot count on this.
This is an initial summary of how the current crisis is impacting upon my extended family. As ever, it quickly becomes apparent while watching the news that others have it far worse. I intend to continue to write about all aspects of this situation as it unfolds. For the present, I’m monitoring what happens in France, Germany and Italy as they are broadly comparable nations to the UK. Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts on how this situation is affecting your day to day life. In the meantime stay safe and use the internet to check on those who may need help. We may well all be incarcerated to a degree but we can use our social networks to direct potential help to those who need it. And just staying in touch with online friends is good for everyone’s collective moral.
