Coronavirus is going to leave a mark – in the heart’s of loved ones lost, in history, and in society. Some survivors are still struggling with the after-effects, even when traces of COVID-19 have come back negative.
Italy was one of the worst hit countries earlier on in the global pandemic.
And, although data is recorded differently across the world – thereby making it hard to say which country had it the worst – there’s no doubt the UK has been tragically affected too.
With lockdown restrictions slightly easing today, we are following in the footsteps of other nations.
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The Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, relaxed Italy’s lockdown requirements on May 4th. But its people are still suffering.
Morena Colombi from Truccazzano, outside the northern city of Milan, fought with COVID-19 for six weeks.
The 59-year-old then tested negative for the virus on March 16 but, weeks on, she’s still struggling with the after-effects.
The poor woman still has a lingering cough, crippling fatigue, aching muscles and suffers from shortness of breath.
“I can’t get back into my natural rhythm,” she confessed. And she’s not the only one.
The director of San Matteo Hospital, in the Lombardy town of Pavia, Alessandro Venturi testified that many survivors have faced a long road to recovery.
He said: “It’s not the sickness that lasts for 60 days, it is the convalescence [time spent recovering from an illness].”
For those who developed pneumonia because of the disease, the symptoms may stay around as the damaged lungs can take months to heal.
But even those with more mild symptoms of COVID-19 are finding it hard to shake off.
Take high school teacher, Martina Sorlini. The 29-year-old has had a fever since the beginning of March, which she says “never finishes”.
The maths and physics teacher has also had to contend with a cough, sore throat, stomach aches and fatigue.
Dr Annalisa Malara, an intensive care physician in Codogno, southeast of Milan, said there’s no clear understanding why the virus can leave some long-lasting effects.
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And with lockdown measures partially lifted, more people are comparing their experiences with the virus.
An MP for the right-wing Brotherhood of Italy party, Edmondo Cirielli, had cold-like symptoms back in March.
His condition worsened as he encountered breathing difficulties, was admitted to hospital and tested positive for COVID-19.
He was then sent home to self-quarantine, and suffered for 40 days thereafter with debilitating fatigue, a sore throat and diarrhoea.
After testing negative, Cirielli thought things were going to take a positive spin, but he was wrong.
He continued to suffer from symptoms and then found himself testing positive for the virus all over again.
He said: “One day I was fine, the next bad. There was no building to a peak and then coming back down. It was up and down for a month.”
With today marking the first day the UK is easing away from lockdown restrictions, there may be many more tales to tell.
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