We’re joined on the line by Dr. Jérôme Fennell for episode #120 of Paddy Holohan’s No Shame Podcast. Dr. Fennell is a consultant microbiologist & manages infection control operations for Tallaght University Hospital. During the podcast Jérôme gives us an update on how Ireland has been dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak along with his own personal & professional experiences with the virus.
A few weeks ago, Jérôme contracted Covid-19 & tells Paddy of his experience. Dr. Fennell explains how it was different to any flu or cold he’s ever experienced previously. He suffered from severe headaches, gastroenteritis type symptoms & had a fever of 39º. It took him over 2 weeks to recover & after self isolating for the sufficient amount of time he returned to work. On top of the physical symptoms Dr. Fennell discusses the psychological connotations attached to contracting coronavirus, which can lead to extreme levels of stress & emotional turmoil.
Jérôme admits that there is still so much to learn when understanding the virus & it will take time before being able to give definitive answers surrounding topics such as immunity, infection & rate of transmission. However his existing knowledge on the subject is welcoming offering great insights while adding context to some of the numbers & theories that have been circulating online in recent weeks.
Also on this weeks podcast Paddy runs through the governments 5 phase plan to get Ireland moving again in the coming weeks & months. Jérôme stresses that the plan is a best case scenario timeline & the risk of a 2nd or 3rd wave is still at large. There is hope that the warmer summer months may slow the spread of infection however Dr. Fennell reiterates that ‘The virus has never given us any breaks’ to date.
It’s always reassuring to have a professional opinion on the podcast. Jerome’s honesty throughout is refreshing, reinvigorating our efforts to go the distance in this Lockdown marathon. We’d personally like to thank the doc for appearing on the podcast having come straight from a shift in the hospital to do the show.
#Covid19 #CoronaVirus #NoShamePodcast
25 окт 2024
