Omicron, Delta, or 'the original' COVID-19 is no joke, Mt Warrigal man Darryl Glover says.
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The fit 74-year-old still patrols as a surf lifesaver and until lockdowns struck was an active masters competitor.
He's double vaccinated as of July 15, and booked in for his booster - although the earliest appointment he could get was January 20.
Despite his good health and the precautions he took, Mr Glover became sick shortly after Christmas.
"I woke up at 3am on Monday feeling quite unwell; by 8am I was really sick," he said.
He was unable to get a PCR test on Monday, but managed to get one on Tuesday.
By then his temperature had reached 37.9 degrees.
"I was so tired I struggled to keep my eyes open," he said.
"I was a bit nauseous, a bit dizzy and had a mild sore throat and headache. I also developed a rash.
"I still had smell and taste but I had a very dry mouth and I did not feel like eating.
"I had back pain that just wouldn't go away, I couldn't get comfortable.
"Thank God I was double vaxxed because if I wasn't I don't know how sick I would have been."
Mr Glover says he is not sure which variant of the disease he had, and that most people would not know what strain they were coming into contact with.
He still feels fatigued, but hopes to leave home isolation later this week.
He worries for his wife, who is currently in care.
He feels as restrictions have eased many have thrown caution to the wind, and says everyone must pull together to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to his experience of the illness, he said the potential long-term effects should give everyone cause to take care.
"I think everyone from my age down, below 80, we missed the rationing and things from the war, we've been a very privileged society," he said.
"We haven't known the necessity of sacrifice. Until this pandemic is finished we just have to adjust slightly the way we live.
"We must remember to social distance, to wear a mask, all the things health organisations have recommended that our politicians seem to have forgotten.
"You can't afford to be blasé about it; you don't know how it's going to affect you."
As cases in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region remain high, and hospitalisation numbers continue to climb, Mr Glover said he was disappointed by the political response to the ongoing crisis.
"There has been absolutely no forethought about the stages {,how} they've relaxed things and the changes they've made to the testing regime," he said.
"Scotty said the other day they have plenty of RATS in the nursing homes and they haven't. It just frustrates me.
"It just seems our leaders are not thinking about the ordinary person, they're thinking about big business and hang the consequences.
"The decisions they've made have shown a complete and utter contempt for our health workers and all frontline workers."
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