A football coach from Godmanchester describes being ‘wiped out’ from Covid-19, despite receiving his first vaccine.

Matt Lee, 31 from Godmanchester thought he had very little risk of catching Covid-19 and if he did, that he would be able to just “brush it off.”

But after his experiences of falling ill with the virus, he is adding his voice to those urging people to ‘do the right thing’ get both vaccinations as soon as they are eligible, and to continue to follow all the public health guidelines whether they are vaccinated or not.

As well as not falling into any high-risk categories, Matt had received his first vaccination around a month before contracting the virus, which he now has cause to be thankful for.

Matt said: “There are so many people on social media saying that the vaccinations don’t work because people are still catching the virus.

“Actually, what the vaccines are there for, is to stop you dying or being hospitalised, so in that respect, they very much do work.”

“I’ll be honest, before this, I thought if I ever did catch Covid, I’ll be fine. I’m fit and healthy, I never really get ill and I’m only 31. I thought I’d just brush it off.

“Maybe I was slightly arrogant about it, but people need to know, this can completely wipe you out.”

Matt’s symptoms began gradually, starting with a sense of feeling generally unwell.

When he took his temperature and it was 39 degrees, at which point he took a lateral flow test and it showed a positive result.

The following day he took a PCR test, and over the next five days, the virus took hold.

Matt said: “I soon began to feel really unwell, like I had very bad flu.

“I was still very hot, my joints began to ache, my sense of taste reduced significantly and I also felt sick.

“At one point I didn’t eat for 24 hours.

“I was coughing a lot and breathing became difficult.

Night-time was the worse, though, I was exhausted but just couldn’t sleep.

I was also sweating so much that I had to change my bedding every day.”

Matt’s health has gradually returned to normal, but, he says, the illness and the experience “really has taken its toll on everything.”

As a self-employed football coach and PE provider, Matt had been unable to earn money whilst being ill and self-isolating.

Matt says that he is now much more cautious about the precautions he takes.

From hand washing, socialising mainly outdoors, to mask wearing and says that since 19 July he has definitely continued to wear a mask in public indoor spaces like shops, because quite simply, he “never wants to feel like that again.”

He is determined to get his second vaccine as soon as he is eligible.

Reflecting on his experience, Matt said: “It’s not a case of scaremongering. Covid is real.

“It’s still out there and more and more people are testing positive every day.

“This virus doesn’t just impact on you, but it also impacts on the people around you.

“Mentally it impacts on you a lot too.

"Not only the illness, but the self-isolation and if you’re someone who like me, relies on stimulating your mental health and wellbeing by being out and about, socialising, exercising, if you’re not being careful to avoid contracting the virus and do catch it, it will have a huge impact on your mental health.

“Anyone who thinks there’s any kind of conspiracy around this, I can tell you that it’s real. I’ve lived it. I can only imagine what it would’ve been like for me if I hadn’t had had the jab.

"I would encourage everyone to get vaccinated – essentially it saves your life.”

Details of where you can get a Covid vaccine are available at: https://www.thevaccinators.co.uk/