I was regarded as having a 'mild case' of Covid-19. I had burning lungs and exhaustion for weeks | Anna Poletti

“I am pretty sure I have it.”

I started saying this to colleagues and students around 9 March 2020. I had a strange, hot pain in my lungs. It was the shape of a horseshoe – it ran down the outside and along the bottom of my lungs. I could breathe fine. I was still able to deliver a two-hour lecture, ride my bike, talk to people in meetings, walk to the supermarket; but I was a bit more tired at the end of the day. Then again, I thought to myself, I am always tired at this time of year. Winter was ending in the Netherlands, where I live, and I was almost halfway through what is the busiest time of my working year at the university.

I am a 43-year-old woman with no pre-existing health conditions. I am writing this essay because none of my Australian friends and family know anyone else who has had coronavirus. It took so long for me to get consistent medical