‘They told me I would be in an induced coma for a few days, but I actually woke up two months later’

A HEALTH WORKER who was diagnosed with Covid-19 and spent two months in an induced coma has described the “terrifying impact” and “lasting effects” of the disease on him.

Jerick Martin recounted the 68 days he spent in ICU, most of that time in an induced coma, after contracting Covid-19. He spoke at a public health briefing alongside Acting Chief Marketing Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn tonight.

Martin said he was speaking publicly about his ordeal out of fear that the public would not recognize the risk the virus poses to all members of society, not just the vulnerable and the elderly.

“I was a fit and healthy man in my thirties, working and enjoying my life with my wife and daughter,” he said.

“Within five days of experiencing my first symptoms, I was admitted to the hospital, where I spent 68 days in intensive care, most of that time on a ventilator, in an induced coma.

My doctor told me that I would be in an induced coma for a few days, but I actually woke up two months later. The impact of that is very terrifying and will have lasting effects.

“Being in a ventilator-induced coma means that you are unconscious and a machine has to breathe for you. I had multi-organ failure and my family had to deal with the fact that I couldn’t answer them, couldn’t hear them, surrounded by machinery and tubes in a hospital bed.

Martin said he has suffered long-lasting effects from the virus including “diabetes, shortness of breath and hypertension,” but he also noted the impact it had on his family.

“My wife says this was hell for her. She thought she was going to die and the hospital had to call her twice to tell her that she might not live. Eventually I started to recover, thanks to the Beaumont Hospital staff and family and friends who prayed for me, and I was able to go home.

“Even now, my life and my health have changed. I lost three and a half kilos of weight. I have diabetes, shortness of breath, and hypertension. I did not have these conditions before. I need an inhaler and am short of breath going up or down the stairs. “

“I don’t know what the long-term effects will be,” he added.

Martin was speaking publicly about his experience with the virus, as the number of cases of the virus continues to rise nationally.

Dublin, and more recently Donegal, have been put under more restrictions to limit the spread of the virus.

The government will also make a decision this week on whether to increase Covid-19 restrictions in Louth, Cork, Wicklow and Galway amid a growing number of cases in all four counties.

Public health officials have been pleading with members of the public to limit their social interactions, to wear a mask when in public places or congregated settings, and to observe social distancing, while also washing their hands regularly.