A martial arts instructor from Cumbernauld was able to see his teenage daughter score in a Murrayfield final thanks to a new antiviral treatment for COVID-19.
People with certain medical conditions are being offered new treatments to combat symptoms of the virus and reduce more serious illness.
Mike Flynn, 65, who is originally from the San Francisco Bay area of the United States, was eligible for the treatment because he has chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
Mike, who described the treatment as “magic”, has been teaching akido at the Iain Nicholson Centre in Chryston since settling in Cumbernauld in 2005.
He told Lanarkshire Live: “I woke up on the Monday with some flu-like symptoms including feeling muscle-tired and a sore throat so I went for a COVID-19 test.
"My daughter had tested positive a few days before. I got my positive test result back on the Tuesday morning. I had a letter from the NHS saying that I might be eligible for COVID treatment as I have a compromised immune system so I called the number that morning.
“By 1.30pm a courier had delivered the medication direct to my house and I took the first dose straight away. By the next morning I still had a sore throat but all my other symptoms had gone and I began feeling a lot better and could feel the benefit of the pills. It was magic.”
The dad had to take two different types of pills for five days, three in the morning and three at night, which helped speed his recovery. And the following week he was delighted to be there in person to see his daughter, a youth internationalist, play and score at the home of Scottish Rugby.
Mike revealed: “I took my lateral flow tests on day six and seven and both were negative, so I was able to make it to see my daughter Nicole playing a rugby cup final at Murrayfield and the next day I was back teaching martial arts.
“Nicole plays for Stirling County under-18 team and the national under-18 team. They were in the cup final against Edinburgh Harlequins and she scored the first try in a 69-12 win. That was nice to see.
“The following week she came off the bench to score the winning try for Scotland under-18s against Italy.
“It was a lucky break I was able to come out of COVID isolation in time to see Nicole score a try in the final. I think that was down to the treatment too for helping me recover so quickly.”
Nearly 1300 people in Lanarkshire have been through the assessment process with over 800 of them receiving treatments since December.
Mike, whose wife Julie is an advanced nurse practitioner at Wishaw General, is feeling great and back doing his normal routines and teaching akido, and would encourage others who are eligible to get the treatment.
Dr Lucy Munro, medical director for Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “I’d like to thank all the staff who have worked tirelessly to deliver this service during challenging times.
“These new treatments can help make COVID symptoms less severe, make complications less likely and are important in protecting people with very weakened immune systems.”
She added: “Getting vaccinated remains the most effective step people can take to protect themselves and reduce chances of becoming seriously ill with COVID.
"For those who still become infected, these treatments will help alleviate their symptoms, help their recovery and reduce the number of hospitalisations as a result of COVID.”
For more information on the additional COVID-19 treatment options, including accessing the treatment and the dedicated telephone number, visit the NHS Inform website.
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