I'm a 30-year-old doctor and I tested #positive for #COVID19 – I caught it last week.

Let me tell you, it hasn't been fun.

It started off with vague symptoms: a bit of a headache, some lower back pain. But by the end of the day I was coughing, I felt feverish, and I measured a temperature of 38.5°C. I started isolation and told all my contacts about this. Did some online shopping.

I could get a swab the following day through the hospital I work for. Testing happens in a secluded hospital building, so I had to physically go there whilst isolated. I waited for my temperature to drop and then I cycled through London with a mask on.

(Whilst crossing the Thames, a man on a motorbike shouted at me and called me the C-word for cycling too slowly. Cheers, mate).

I received the swab result the following morning (day 3): positive. I wasn't surprised: by this time, I was getting fevers >39°C and I was exhausted – I had the peculiar sensation of having hollow thighs and knees (?) and I had to lean on furniture to get from my bed to the loo.

Occupational Health immediately did the work contact tracing and isolated for 14 days a colleague that they felt was at high risk.

Every day, Miss Corona has had a new gift from me. I had basically everything – sore throat, hoarse voice, some dysphagia to liquids: I had to take very small sips otherwise some water would go down my windpipe.

Sometimes fevers would not go down despite paracetamol or ibuprofen, and I spent a mildly delirious afternoon with a temperature of 39.7°C and some shortness of breath wondering whether I should have called 999.

Four days after the onset, I developed #anosmia and #ageusia (late, I know). Not being able to taste food is wild: whatever I eat, I can feel its temperature and texture, but I can't tell whether it's sweet, salty, bitter, or sour.

Vanilla ice cream currently tastes "cold and creamy". Mushroom risotto tastes "moist and warm".

I have to say, Miss Corona, taking the sense of taste away from an Italian man was truly a step too far.

I was only contacted by #TestandTrace 2 days after my positive swab result.

Unfortunately, this is not good enough. Four days had passed since me showing symptoms, and time is key.

Six more contacts of mine – friends – were put in isolation for 14 days. Even if I know I haven't done anything wrong, it's difficult not to feel bad for forcing people home for two weeks.

One of my friends also started having symptoms after meeting me and tested positive.

I'm now feeling better – I have no fevers, and I can walk around my flat without stumbling. But I still have a cough, a headache, and, most importantly, dark chocolate still only tastes "velvety and room-temperature".

All this to say:

Even if chances of dying or ending up in hospital are low for younger people, COVID can still beat you up quite badly, and it will have repercussions on your friends. Don't underestimate it.

The second wave is here. Wash your hands frequently, wear masks indoors, stay 1-2m away from people as much as possible, meet outdoors when you can, and reduce your social events.

We can do this