Lainie Anderson: After everything we did, we still caught Covid

For two years we watched the world fall to Covid-19. And for two years we strove to avoid the virus. And then we caught it, writes Lainie Anderson.

For two years we watched the world fall to Covid-19. And for two years we strove to avoid the virus.

We’d been jabbed. We’d worn masks. We’d social distanced, obeyed lockdowns and quarantined ourselves away from family over Christmas when one of our boys became a close contact.

We’d so exhaustively hammered home the perils of big, sweaty New Year’s Eve parties that our twin 18-year-olds literally hid themselves away in a yurt with a tiny group of mates to see in 2022.

And then Max and I met up with triple-vaccinated friends and caught Covid.

As I write this, we’re in day eight of our 10-day isolation period; our energy has returned and we have no symptoms. So yes, Max and I are incredibly lucky, given 26 South Australians have sadly died, with 225 in hospital as of Thursday and 26 in ICU.

For those who’ve thus far escaped the virus, I thought I’d share the experience…

1. In terms of surviving isolation with minimum disruption, it doesn’t get much more privileged than our situation. We have an old cottage beside our house in the Adelaide Hills and both work from home. Because we were away from the boys in the days before testing positive, they’re not close contacts and have provided a delivery service (who knew Coles click & collect was free!) Despite all this, despite only ever having mild flu symptoms and despite priding myself on always maintaining perspective, I must admit that testing positive has left me feeling low at random moments. If you know someone in isolation, please reach out. Never has a tiny text message meant so much.

Queues at the Covid testing site at Victoria Park. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

2. We experienced our worst symptoms (fatigue, headache, joint and muscle ache) in the first four days, and weirdly the symptoms seemed to change every few hours. Early on, those frequent changes can make you feel a bit panicked. And because we’ve been in fear of this virus for two years, it initially seems surreal that normal old paracetamol and ibuprofen might actually suppress the milder symptoms. They do.

3. Don’t underestimate the power of rest and water.

4. Without exception, SA Health testing workers at Tailem Bend and Mount Barker have been efficient and friendly. We were notified about testing positive within 24 hours and have since received daily texts asking about symptoms and if we’d like to speak to a health professional. The Red Cross has texted about our mental health, and the Regional Response Care Team has called to check if we’re OK.

5. Watching rising eastern states case numbers (92,000 in NSW as I write) has reinforced how fortunate we are in SA that our leadership team went hard on restrictions when Omicron began to hit. Constant rule changes are still maddening (why’s it so hard for politicians to show they’re human by admitting ‘Sorry, we’re making this up as we go along’). And I still think devastated sectors like hospitality deserve greater compassion and urgent financial support.

6. Finally, I’m puzzled why a breakdown of the disproportionate numbers of unvaccinated patients in hospital and ICU isn’t highlighted in all Covid updates to further encourage jabs. I’m puzzled why a country as clever as Australia is forever catching up with things like rapid antigen testing and paediatric vaccination programs. And I’m puzzled why anyone could still think Scott Morrison deserves to be Prime Minister.