On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization ( WHO ) was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The first case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in December 2019 and was subsequently declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020.
For us as a family this meant us all working from home on laptops. Schools closed, shops closed, businesses closed, the world closed!!! The NHS became the hero of this pandemic and those that were able to go to school came in to ensure that key worker children and vulnerable children were taken care of emotionally and academically. The search for answers began and communications from No 10 Downing street came in the form of daily press conferences. The whole world watched in horror as people started to die, in their tens, hundreds and even thousands! People were put into risk categories and for me this meant that I was advised strongly to shield until further notice. This meant that I was unable to leave the house at all. not even allowed to go out for a walk.
2020 was going to be a big year for me from a health point of view. I was waiting for joint fusions on 2 of my fingers on my left hand and a knee replacement for my right knee. Already feeling unsure about life in general, I started receiving letters and emails saying that all my appointments were cancelled until further notice! This was incredibly stressful, I had no idea what was still to come.
