COVID-19 observations
from Self-Isolation
These are some thoughts about Coronavirus and how you can still help despite having to self-isolate. A Knell of Doom? NO!.
Please forgive the weird start. These are really strange times and those of us who are self-isolating are developing a bit of a split personality. One part of our minds is reassured because we are sheltering safely at home with a far lower risk of catching this dreadful virus. The other half of our brain is a bit envious of our friends and colleagues who can venture outside and contribute to this society of ours.
Well, guess what! I have found — as have some of my William Harvey and TrialsConnect friends and colleagues — that you can stay safe at home and also contribute something in different ways. More later.
I was advised on the 11th March, along with my fellow volunteers at William Harvey Clinical Research Centre to stay at home to protect our health. I think I can speak for all when I say how disappointed we were at this news but obviously health must come first. The William Harvey CRC staff always have this at the forefront of their minds, even in ordinary times. All the patients I have spoken to hold the staff in very high esteem.
I will come to the very best part later ,but I will mention that one way I have continued to help is that on the 9th April 2020 I joined a UCL Partners remote meeting/workshop on ‘Serious Diseases Management’. My very first on-line meeting by Zoom. Who says you are too old to learn!
The one thing that really gives me a sense of pride, though, is how hard my friends at the William Harvey have been working through this pandemic studying ways to treat and beat COVID-19, caring for those suffering from this disease and helping with information and data to enable our group (TrialsConnect) to put together pages of our website that will hopefully help researchers in their fight against this truly dreadful virus. Paul has quickly put together a brilliant set of COVID pages and I have enjoyed assisting him with this in my own small way.
Speaking of not being too old to learn new tricks I have also stumbled my way around Instagram and Facebook to promote the website and I have been acting as moderator. Whoever would have thought!
I really miss my visits to William Harvey Heart Centre and I cannot wait to return to see the many friends I have made over the past eight years or so. The staff are wonderful and they treat their patients more as family than patients. Having said that they are utterly professional when it comes to their studies.
