So far, I had been spared from COVID-19. “Had,” focusing on the past, because now it has affected me, or us, after all. We had to cut short our vacation, which I used to share little glimpses of here on the blog. We quickly went back home, wearing masks the whole time and hoping not to infect more people.

At home, we’ve been recovering from this illness for three days now. We preferred to order our groceries instead of going to the supermarket. The symptoms are getting better and almost gone. I had a strong fever at first, although I couldn’t confirm it with a thermometer since I didn’t have one during the trip. The painful cough in my throat is improving, and the stuffy nose is getting better too.

I’m glad that the symptoms from this variant we caught are now quite mild…

The treatment in the UK was surprising. With cold-like symptoms, we were directed from the medical practice to the pharmacy to get a COVID-19 test. When the test confirmed a positive result, we were told not to enter the practice anymore. The number “111” in Scotland didn’t seem reachable with roaming. But we needed some medical proof for our insurance to show that we had to cut our trip short because we were feeling very unwell. Did we need to go to the emergency room for that? Ultimately, modern technology and virtual doctor visits (from Scotland to Germany) helped us.

I used to be afraid of COVID-19 before. Now, I mainly worry about those whose symptoms aren’t as mild and those who may suffer long-term effects. I’m not sure about the current situation, but I sincerely hope that vaccines are now providing good protection for high-risk individuals and that masks help reduce the risk of transmission. I also hope that those knowingly infected are taking precautions.