The Guardian

I was infected with coronavirus in March, six months on I’m still unwell

Charlie Russell, 27, is one of an estimated 600,000 people with post-Covid illness, a condition that may give an insight into MECoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
Charlie Russell suffers chest pains, migraines, severe breathlessness, dizziness and exhaustion. Photograph: Michael Wharley

It’s day 182 after being infected by Covid-19, and Charlie Russell is not doing the things that other 27-year-olds are doing.

He’s not running 5km three times a week like he used to. He’s not going to the pub. He’s not working. And he’s not getting better.

“If I had known that I’d be this ill, I would have taken everything a lot more seriously back in March,” Russell said. “But all that we heard back then was that if you were infected and you were a young person, you’d most likely not have any symptoms

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