What Happened
Joseph Flavill, a 19-year old British teenager woke-up from a coma after almost a year with no knowledge of the coronavirus pandemic. Flavill suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a car in English town Burton-on-Trent on March 1st, 2020, three weeks before the first lockdown and remained in hospital since.
What you need to know
He finally woke up earlier this week and has begun to respond to simple commands and stimulation, the family said. According to a Facebook page documenting his recovery. He is slowly starting to emerge from the coma into a “minimally conscious state.” While comatose, Joseph contracted COVID-19 twice and recovered. During his recovery from the incident, his mother has been unable to pay him a visit due to the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions in the UK.
“It’s almost like he slept through the whole pandemic,” his aunt, Sally Flavill-Smith, told Staffordshire Live.
What’s next
The family said they have tried to make him understand over video calls that they’re unable to be with him in person due to coronavirus restrictions, but are unsure if he can understand it fully. As a long road to his recovery is still ahead, they slowly want to make him know about the new normal.