FOR most people, Covid isn't as frightening as it once was.
But one mum has said she is dreading a winter wave of the bug, after it left her little boy frothing at the mouth.
Kerry Degg's son Elliott has tested positive for the virus four times- which has now left him with asthma and a rare skin condition.
In most cases, children aren't heavily affectect by the virus.
Millions of Brits have now had vaccinations to protect them, with many also having some immunity from prior infection.
On top of this, the current strain of the bug, Omicron, has been proven by medics to be milder than those that came before it.
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But cases have been rising in recent weeks, and Kerry, 45, who lives in Staffordshire, said the family is shielding as much as possible as winter takes hold.
She said: “We’re dreading the positive and negative test result as it gives us this warning we’re going straight up to hospital with Elliott."
“I’m slightly less frightened as every hospital visit was less severe.
"We’re just in limbo with it all and hope he might get a vaccine soon."
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Elliott first caught Covid in September 2020 and had been 'perfectly healthy'.
“He was unconscious, blue and foaming at the mouth," Kerry recalled.
The paramedics arrived in protective suits and 'ripped it off' so he could get up the stairs to save her son.
"I shouted at him that I think we've got Covid but he said he didn't care – it was all very dramatic at the time, them trying to help Elliott," she said.
“Nothing can ever get as bad as that so we’ve always said we’re not going to let anything hold him back."
Elliott is now asthmatic post-Covid and during his third hospital admission he started to show signs of dermographism, a condition also known as skin writing, where uncomfortable red rashes appear on the skin when a patient is touched.
The family are hoping that vaccines for kids are soon realised in order to protect Elliot.
WINTER FEAR
At present, the NHS doesn't provide jabs to kids under the age of five.
However, Kerry said that every time Elliot catches the bug, his body reacts a week later.
"He gets really, really ill one week after having Covid which is bizarre but it's fine when he has it," she said.
"Then one week later when he tests negative, we know he's going to go into hospital, so weird.
“He doesn’t get ill with Covid, he gets ill after Covid, so that’s our fear over winter with the numbers going up.
“We’re staying away from his grandparents who have Covid at the moment because of that panic.”
What is dermatographia?
Dermatographia is a skin condition.
It is also known as 'skin writing' as is characterised by the skin's response to pressure.
The condition tends to get worse at night and episodes can come and go quickly
If you have the conditions, rubbing or scratching skin will cause welts.
It often appears on the scalp and on the soles of the feet.
Because of their past experiences, the family are prepared for any Covid issues and have oxygen and temperature monitors at home to keep an eye on Elliott when he falls ill.
Kerry added: “As long as it’s not hurting him we won’t let the dermographism or asthma hold him back because after that experience (on the stairs), it was just the worst."
Each time Elliott has contracted Covid he has struggled to breathe and he now suffers from asthma.
It was after his third trip to the hospital, medics first noticed signs of dermographism.
“The doctor noticed his face was marking up every time he put the oxygen mask on him," said Kerry.
“So they were asking me if he was allergic to the latex. They were panicking because he got lines all over his face where the mask was."
She added: "Every time anybody touched him, he marked. It was quite pronounced. It wasn't just minor; it was really every touch.
“It was you literally putting your hand on his chest and your handprint would be there after, he was that severe at the beginning whilst he was in hospital.”
'CHILLED CHILD'
But Elliot, a big Spiderman fan, isn't bothered about the marks, Kerry said.
Medics have trialled different medications on Elliot, with antihistamine cetirizine having helped relieve his dermographism.
"Whilst it’s not a cure, it improved his symptoms by 80 per cent.
“If he didn't have his medicine it would be pretty obvious.
"If we forget his medicine once in the morning, he’d roll around on the floor and have a big mark on his face," Kerry said.
Despite his ordeal, Kerry described Elliot as a 'chilled kid'.
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She added: “I think we would struggle if he was a crier.
"If he cried over everything, we would really struggle because you’ve got no way of knowing if it’s really bad, because it always looks bad."
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