Romani musician in Czech Republic regrets believing COVID-19 was fake now that he's had it

I keep reading on Facebook that the COVID-19 disease is fake, that it's a fictional illness, or that it's just a worse version of the flu and nothing more. Unfortunately, I have to disappoint those of you who believe that.

The virus exists and is actually much more insidious than the regular flu. Take, for example, the singer Feri Bartoš. 

I don't know what his health was like before, but he's 40 years old and built like a mountain. From the article on Romea.cz it is apparent that the course of the disease was more serious in his case.

I can personally guarantee everybody that even the "light" version of COVID-19 is genuinely no fun. I am rarely ill, it takes a lot for something to lay me low.   

Roughly one month ago, though, I was struck down. I have not yet been for tests, so I cannot claim with 100 % certainty that what I had was COVID-19.

Of course, what I can tell you for certain is that whatever I had was decidedly not an ordinary virus. A couple of people I know have written to tell me that they had the same experience I did, and they have received confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19.

I had high fevers of around 40 C, I couldn't even get out of bed, and I was absolutely exhausted, above all in my muscles. At one point I almost couldn't even walk to the toilet. 

There were chills, followed by hot flashes, and I thought my head would burst open. That state of affairs lasted two whole days. 

If I had experienced that for 10 days as others have, I would have "given up the ghost". It's true that I recovered quickly, overall, which I consider a miracle.   

I have to add that for several days after the worst symptoms, I was abnormally fatigued. After walking a couple of meters, I felt like I'd run a marathon.  

During the past month I have slept more than ever before in my life. I'm all right by now, I feel normal already.  

I'm one of the people who used to say COVID-19 was all bullshit, a big deception, etc. Believe me, I'm speaking and writing differently now. 

Some people might catch this and not even know it. Especially tough guys in their twenties.

If I were 20 years older, I probably would have had a much worse time of it. The "Colonel" and his gang [Translator's Note:  the current Health Minister] make me angry too, in my opinion they are abusing the current situation and making money on it.  

Let's be clear, though - do you think anybody else in that position would behave differently? Anyone would do their best to make money on this, unfortunately, that's just politics. 

This disease is really not some kind of fable, though, it's reality. Everybody who still doubts that, or who posts about how many people usually die of cancer and other illnesses is, in a certain sense, right.   

I can guarantee you, though, that if you were to catch even the lighter version of COVID-19, you would change your tune about it. If, God forbid, your parents were to catch it, that would be a real problem, believe me. 

It is not my intention to spread panic. Just think a bit before you start writing about this all being a con again. 

I wish you all good health so you can keep complaining on Facebook with no problems. Maybe by the end of the year this will have declined, and then we will have an opportunity to live our normal lives again in the spring!