Covid Positive

I felt quite unwell yesterday. But I've been having a lot of vision problems so I thought it was that. When I stupidly went for my normal swim I discovered that it wasn't. So I did a lateral flow test. Positive! I've evaded it since 2020, but it's finally caught up with me.

I notified everyone I've been in contact with. My builders went home till next week. Because I'm clinically vulnerable I also notified the NHS. Fortunately I did a big food shop on Sunday & wore a mask. I'm used to being solitary, so it isn't a problem. The symptoms are relatively mild at the moment.

Now we are in the 3rd year we all know so much more about Covid & how to deal with it. There are systems in place. There is an app that works. Most people are vaccinated. It's all so much more positive than in 2020 when fear was predominant.

It is like a game of dominoes though. One piece falls & all the others follow. The knock on effect of Covid still needs to be taken seiously. We have all relaxed, because the extremes of shielding etc weren't viable long term. We have a more positive attitude to adapting to Covid.

But the pressures it is putting on the NHS are still there. Staffing & funding issues remain. Patients feel that their access to medics has been severely & permanenetly curtailed. Phone triage doesn't work for everything. The changes in the way the system operates are possibly necessary, but for patients they are not positive. We value a face to face consult with our doctors.

The morale of Medics has been knocked hard. 

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/what-the-bma-is-doing/covid-19-the-impact-of-the-pandemic-on-the-medical-profession

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/what-the-bma-is-doing/covid-19-how-well-protected-was-the-medical-profession

It is really important that the government, the NHS & Medics associations honestly evaluate what has happened during Covid. There will be other pandemics & emergencies. We need a NHS that is ready to deal with them.

At the moment the outlook is not positive. Privatisation really won't help patients.