Karl Knights, a 29-year-old with cerebral palsy, was told by his doctor to isolate but when he took to social media to open up about his struggles he was ruthlessly mocked by online trolls
A man forced to isolate for a miserable five years due to Covid has revealed the fear he felt when he finally emerged.
Karl Knights was forced to shield himself away from the outside world for a staggering five years due to his immuno-suppressed condition, which put him at risk of developing severe complications from Covid.
The poet and writer is now beginning to emerge from self-isolation but it hasn’t been easy. Most people had their moment in the aftermath of the initial lockdowns, but Karl was forced to wait another five years. Looking back at when Covid struck, he said: “It was one of those pivotal kind of moments, where I could sense something was going to shift and my life wouldn’t be exactly the same for a little while.”
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Karl lives with cerebral palsy in Leiston, Suffolk. Karl described the day the legal obligation to isolate stopped and the government ended free mass testing in April 2022, as “a sad and frightening day to be a disabled person.”
He posted on social media at the time: “The world just got a lot smaller and more isolated for shielders.” He stayed in touch with friends and family using Zoom and other digital platforms.
He stated: “‘One of the few blessings is I’m glad this horrible event and all this shielding is happening in this moment, where we have this connectivity.
“I’m grateful for it, especially at this time of year.”
He turned to social media to talk about his experience but was ruthlessly mocked by online trolls.
In July 2023, while tweeting about his fourth birthday in isolation, he informed his followers: “I’m still here, as virtual events vanish and isolation deepens.”
However, shortly after, he added: “Just a quick note to say that there’s some virulent replies to the above tweet from pandemic deniers, ranging from anti-vaxxer hogwash to casually thrown about ableist slurs.”
Nearly two years later, apart from brief ventures outside for vaccinations, he finally feels ready to allow himself a bit more freedom. “It’s nice but I am still more cautious than most,” he said.
In the UK, there are an estimated 500,000 individuals with compromised immune systems, making their bodies struggle to produce antibodies.
This means that vaccines provide little or no protection, leaving them susceptible to coronavirus.
Peter Opensaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, acknowledged that he knew of “a very few people who are still self-isolating.”
He further said: “It’s life-changing for people to have to undergo this type of isolation, so it’s important that they discuss it on a case by case basis with their doctor to see if the degree of isolation they are subjecting themselves to is warranted.”