Who among us will ever forget March of 2020 and how bizarre we felt when the news of Covid came to us. Some were indignant, some were dismissive, some were scared, and everyone had an opinion. It was a strange sunny autumn in Newcastle. I came home from my yoga class one day and my partner said to me "you're going to have to stop doing that." I was annoyed, but shortly thereafter, I didn't even have a say. The gym had closed. Our little apartment quickly became our entire world. At one stage we were cautious to even open windows because we were afraid of the virus. At another stage I was climbing the 14 floors of my building in a mask for exercise because I was afraid to go outside.
Flash forward to April, and I woke up one Saturday morning with aches all over my body. The pain was deep, in my hips, in my bones! I couldn't sit up, I couldn't eat, I couldn't even open my eyes. It was Covid, I knew it, even before both the PCR and Rat tests came back positive. Statistically speaking I reckon I'd picked it up at a pub the Wednesday before, but I wonder if it might have passed me by had I not gone so hard on the wines that night.
But after the first day I felt fine, although I did continue to sleep a lot. I've slept poorly my entire adult life, but weirdly since covid has hit, I've slept through almost every single night all the way, crazy bonus. I hadn't yet been boosted after being vaccinated back in October. (It was on my to-do list!)
When covid first hit I resented the people who said "it was like the flu." I thought Australia had done the right thing by closing the borders. But by the time it caught me, I was well and truly over it. I was only wearing masks when I knew I'd be around vulnerable people. I feel conversation and communication around medical choices have been terrible and divided people like never before. I wish the world collectively didn't have to go through uncertainty, sadness, sickness and death because of this evil virus. I hope that we're entering a new, safer, healthier stage as we approach the middle of 2022.
Here are some Newcastle COVID experiences
ED WRIGHT
Ed Wright, New Lambton, 54, caught COVID on April 13 from one of his brothers at a family gathering in Lovedale..
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching COVID?
A bit worried in the early stages, but more fatalistic once vaccinated.
What was Covid like for you?
Like a severe chest cold
Was it what you expected?
Pretty much. Lots of people I know have already had it. Relieved I didn't get any of the more worrying symptoms.
Have your opinions on Covid changed since the pandemic started?
Definitely - I was very cautious at the beginning, now it feels like something we'll learn to live with.
Any other thoughts?
The other positive of it was how many people offered to help out while we were in iso. Other than being sick and stuck at home, it felt great to be part of such a caring community.
CLAIRE CORCORAN
Claire Corcoran, Merewether, 27, caught COVID in January 2022, on New Year's Eve.
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching Covid?
At the beginning yes very much so but probably from late last year less worried about it. It's mainly like you have something coming up you don't want to catch it, but at the beginning you were scared to catch it because you could get so sick.
What was it like for you?
It wasn't as full on as what I was expecting it to be. I was only sick with a bad cold and flu-like symptoms for the first three days and then I was fine.
Have your opinions on COVID changed?
Yes. I think at the beginning because it was such an unknown and people were dying and it was quite scary, but now it's something we have to live with and see because it's like the flu. It's still a frightening thing for vulnerable people, and we all still need to do our part to protect them, which hasn't changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Now it's on the individual to do the right thing, if you are feeling sick to stay home and isolate.
JANETTE HOPPE
Janette Hoppe, Waratah, 48, caught COVID on April 1, 2022, from work.
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching Covid?
Yes, we have a large family (five children), one has a heart condition, the children and my partner are all asthmatic, and we (my partner, myself and one son) are germaphobes.
What was it like for you?
I was sick three days before and these three days were my worst days. However, I had tested negative. The second day was my worst day and I was worried that I would end up in hospital due to having difficulty breathing and chest pains. Other symptoms included headaches, sore throat, loss of voice and taste, a cough, fevers and breathlessness.
Was it what you expected?
Yes
Have your opinions on Covid changed since the pandemic started?
I believe the relaxing of restrictions has opened us up to higher rates of infection. Some practices probably should be maintained. However, since coming through the other side of COVID and supposedly not being able to catch it again straight away I am happy not to wear my mask.
Any other thoughts on COVID?
Not necessarily on catching the disease but interestingly enough, I was very thoughtful and careful when undertaking the vaccine and the whole Covid immunisation debate. I am not an antivaxxer, but I did however have hesitancy in relation to taking the vaccine. One because the vaccine came on the scene so quickly due to the pandemic, I was unsure of its efficacy. Secondly from a cultural perspective as an indigenous person we have a history to not trusting Western medications. Ironically, a week after receiving my first vaccine I had an adverse reaction and ended hospitalised with heart related issues. I did get the second vaccine as the doctors said that if I had reacted so badly to the vaccine which only contains a spike of the virus that I might not live through the virus.
MAREE McCARTHY
Maree McCarthy - Highfields, 64, caught COVID on February 18, 2022, from her grandchildren, who got it from daycare.
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching covid?
I was not particularly worried about catching COVID as I am very healthy generally and the stats say there is a very very small chance of dying from COVID if one is healthy (about 0.1%).
What was Covid like for you?
Everyone that was in contact with the kids got really sick. All my family and friends, myself included, were seriously sick in bed and barely able to move. The nausea was overwhelming! Just awful. I was really lucky that one of my sisters had recovered from it one month earlier so she came and helped me a bit. I was very close to calling an ambulance but I didn't think they would help as I knew they were already extremely busy. (I was double vaccinated.)
Was it what you expected?
Interestingly, the only people who didn't get it and who were in contact with the kids was my elderly mother (83 yrs old) and she is not well at all! And the kids' father. Both had refused to get vaccinated. lol..
I was so desperate for help and relief that I contacted some people I know who are anti-vax and have products they recommend as treatment. I was already having Vitamin C, but then tried swallowing Tumeric, Vit D, Zinc and Quercetin tablets.
Then I looked up Quercetin and discovered to my surprise that our native Davidson Plums are extremely high in Quercetin! Apples, the usual source only have 4.8mg/100g, but Davidson Plums - known to be a superfood - have 198mg/100g! Luckily I grow Davidson Plums and had some in the fridge! That helped heaps. In fact I could barely tolerate anything at all in my stomach!
Eventually, after a week I was feeling a bit better and I had a lingering COVID-related arthritis but that is settling down now too.
Have your opinions on COVID changed?
I personally haven't seen much good come of the restrictions and vaccines! In fact my own daughter who was forced to have the vaccine (she is a childcare teacher) almost died from the vaccine and the staff at the hospital were obviously not trained to look for adverse reactions!! I also know a lady who was healthy and young and died after the vaccine. It is very hard to prove it was a vaccine apparently! I saw this myself!
Any other thoughts?
I'm very disappointed with the government not doing anything to protect our kids future from biodiversity loss and climate change - yet went to extremes and cost us billions (and made billions for the already obscenely rich people) over a new virus whilst not doing a thing to set us up for healthy lives with a future, and protect our natives such as the Davidson Plums - which turn out to be a superfood!
DIEGO VERA URIBE
Diego Vera Uribe, Mayfield, 33, caught COVID on January 7, 2021, after holidays in Melbourne, probably from a friend's gathering on New Year's Eve.
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching Covid?
From the beginning of the pandemic in China, I'd felt worried for the times that were coming. However, my experience as an international student was a higher worry for my family overseas instead of my own health. I followed closely the news and stats of the pandemic in my country Colombia parallel to the situation here in Australia. However, I can tell during 2020 I was mentally stronger rather than in 2021.
What was it like for you?
I would say five times the normal flu. Chills, joints soreness, headache, a bit of fever and tiredness.
Was it what you expected?
I didn't have any expectations at all. I was fully vaccinated and knew the symptoms would be mild compared to the beginning of the pandemic.
Have your opinions on Covid changed since the pandemic started?
Maybe. It was a novel illness when the pandemic started, so the health services didn't have experience with it. It was terrifying by then. Now I know its treatment, care and others, so I'm no longer afraid of dying because of it. However, I worry for the side effects after catching the 'spicy flu': heart conditions, long term lung issues or other unknown complications that affect the lifestyle I visualised for me and my family.
I'm not sure if my political opinions changed, however a lot of questions and reflections around the political treatment the pandemic had will be a point of discussion during the next decade. In my case I'd question the privilege of the wealthy countries over the poor ones in terms of the access to vaccines and scientific development. Are the borders merely demographic/economic or are they a new segregation method for the 21st century? I was lucky during this time and I'm grateful for being in Australia, but the people I love the most weren't here, and some of them are no longer here because of Covid. What are the limits of my personal rights over global wellness? And last but not least, what are my commitments with this bleeding mother earth?
OLIVER GAYWOOD
Oliver Gaywood, Elermore Vale, 36, got COVID at the start of April. His daughter had it first, probably from daycare. They both tested positive at the same time.
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching Covid?
Been a little bit worried I guess. Early on especially it was worrisome; people didn't know what was happening. Talks of hospitalisations and death, which are scary. I was never worried about dying from it because I'm fairly young and healthy, but I was worried about catching it and passing it on to people who were in a worse position. I've been wearing masks when I'm supposed to, but I don't think I've been going overboard avoiding people or places like some people have been.
What was it like for you?
It was pretty mild. I was lucky I got omicron. I felt like I had a heavy cold for two or three days; it pretty much went away. I had headaches, very congested, for one day I was very nauseous. I often get vomity when I'm sick. I feel like some people react to colds and flu and Covid differently. My body tries to throw up whatever is wrong with me. I don't know if that's just me. They weren't unusual symptoms.
Was it what you expected?
Yeah I think so, since December when Omicron came to Australia, I've known a lot of people who have had it the two years before that. The majority of those cases of Omicron people have said it's been fairly mild. Every now and then some people do seem to get it a bit heavier. Most of those situations seem to be a bit milder. Most of the talk is it's genuinely quite mild, I figured it was going around and I was going to get it sooner or later and it seems to have been okay.
Have your opinions on Covid changed since the pandemic started?
Yeah; I think Covid has changed since the pandemic started. Before when we first became aware of Covid it was a lot more serious and people at the start seemed to be getting a lot sicker, and it seemed a lot more dangerous. Omicron seems more contagious with the symptoms. I think so many people being vaccinated helps as well. I'm less worried about it than I have been I think if I had it in 2020 it would have knocked me out for longer and been more unpleasant.
XANTHE ROXBURGH
Xanthe Roxburgh, Maryville, 40, tested positive on April 5. She most likely caught it at an event she performed at on April 3..
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching Covid?
For most of the last two years I wasn't too worried - Newcastle seemed to be pretty insulated from the worst of it. Although, being under 40 at the time, it was concerning to not have any access to the vaccines at all. I was apprehensive about the idea of catching it without any level of protection. And with a number of elderly and/or immunocompromised family and friends, I was worried about potentially catching it and passing it on to someone who was much more vulnerable to serious illness. I also had read a number of the studies regarding long Covid, and the potentially lifelong respiratory and neurological effects of the virus - if it was a more predictable illness with a narrow set of symptoms, side effects and long term effects, it would have been less alarming, I think.
What was Covid like for you?
So, day one felt like hay fever, the morning of day two felt like an unpleasant head cold, but by that afternoon I was pretty fatigued. Day three was exhausting during the day - I pretty much slept on and off all day - and even though a couple of times I felt suddenly very hot, my temperature never went above 37. The sneezing had stopped on day 2, but I had a runny nose till about day 4. My husband returned from interstate on the evening of day three which was great because days 3-5 were very uncomfortable - my throat felt like it was full of broken glass and I was rotating painkillers and throat soothers in between naps. Day 6 the throat was much better, but the throat problems had settled down into my chest and the difficulty with breathing started.
Amazingly, neither of my kids nor my husband caught it.
Was it what you expected?
I think the actual illness itself was not as severe as I had expected; I had no fevers, no headaches, no chills, just some fatigue and sinus issues. But the sore throat was something else! However, I've had influenza before and for me it was comparable to that physically - I think the big difference here was the isolation component. When I had the flu, I think I was quite unwell for 3 or 4 days but then was able to pick up and go back to normal, but with such specific requirements and guidelines for isolation, especially having to be asymptomatic after the seven days; it really made things drag like a wet week. During the periods of time that I wasn't too fatigued to sit upright, I was able to binge watch a heap of shows and do many hours of uninterrupted embroidery, as well as eight days in a row of absolutely unbroken sleep - normally that would be bliss! But being unwell, and being limited to only a few brief moments of communication with my 5 year old through the window or at a distance through a barely-opened doorway was very difficult.
Have your opinions on Covid changed since the pandemic started?
I think I was pretty unconcerned about Covid at the start of 2020 - we didn't really see much effect of SARS back in 2003 (I think only one or two cases in Australia) so I probably thought it would be like that, and was definitely not expecting to still be in the thick of a pandemic more than two years later. That sort of thing feels very last century! It turns out we're just as vulnerable today, just with better healthcare available, at least in Australia. We have a great little neighbourhood community, but those connections were really strengthened during the last two years, and the way people have stepped up to support each other in so many little ways has been lovely.
Any other thoughts on catching Covid or the illness itself?
I'm really hoping that the way the pandemic has shaken up the entrenched attitudes of many workplaces with respect to flexible work arrangements sticks around for the long term.
ARI CHAND
Ari Chand, Newcastle, 32, tested positive in April. Ari's not sure where he caught it. He had flown to Adelaide for a wedding, and thinks he caught it coming back into Sydney.
Since the pandemic hit, have you been worried about catching Covid?
Yes, I think mainly for social reasons. The biggest fear I got was around the whole spreading thing which is kind of interesting now because we're managing self isolation on our own. I had been walking around the uni unmasked with lots of students around who would later email me that they have Covid. I didn't catch it from them for weeks and weeks with them being near me.
There's no consequences now, and that was palpably drilled into us in the beginning, the social responsibility of not spreading it. I know some people who know they have it and are still walking around in public.
What was it like for you?
As someone who doesn't get sick very often I've been surprised at how sick I've gotten: a relentless headache for five days - no drugs seem to help, brain fog, constant congestion, difficulty breathing and sleeping. It feels like it hit me pretty hard. Today's kind of the first day I feel like I can stand up and be okay. If you feel like you can't make it through a 20 minute episode of something, you know it's bad.
Was it what you expected?
No. I don't think I knew what to expect. Obviously they said it was flu like symptoms, but this feels like a lot longer turnaround. Maybe I'm wrong and I haven't had the flu for a long time.
Have your opinions on Covid changed since the pandemic started?
I guess in the sense that obviously there's been different strains. One of my good friends who's a GP said when omicron had started spreading and it was less deadly, that changed my opinion. Also all of the accounts of different things and different people responding differently. It doesn't necessarily matter if you're healthy or not, and there are not identifiable reasons as to why you would get sicker. My opinion has changed now having got it. Initially I was like it'll be okay, now I'm like wow I really realise how sick it can make you. It's intense. I've had so many people too who have got it who said 'oh yeah this I really bad'. My brother got it was fine and was drinking beers and having a good time. I'm like 'this is not my experience'.
Any other thoughts on catching Covid?
The only other thought I would have that it's interestingly brought our attention to one medical issue as opposed to all the other types of issues people do face. People are constantly talking about Covid still, and there's still lots of other health issues that are not as prominent. There's obviously mental healthy, even other things, like I had some hearing issues, trying to go into a medical facility was really difficult. There's a lot of people not getting their skin cancers checked because they've been so focused on not getting Covid.
