Joseph Flavill, 19, was hit by a car while walking near his home in Tutbury, Staffordshire, on March 1 - three weeks before Britain's first national lockdown began
Teenager in coma finally wakes up after 11 months with no knowledge about Covid pandemic
A British student has woken from an 11-month coma after a car crash, with no knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joseph Flavill, 19, was hit by a car while walking near his home in Tutbury, Staffordshire, on March 1 – three weeks before Britain’s first national lockdown began.
Since then he has spent nearly 11 months in a coma, but is on the road to recovery after waking up, as he manages to respond by blinking and smiling to loved ones.
A-Level student Joe, went into a coma three weeks before the UK was plunged into its first national lockdown on March 23.
He caught COVID twice in hospital, but recovered and has now emerged from a stage-two coma. But it meant he has had no knowledge of the pandemic that has hit millions of people across the globe.
Nearly a year after the accident, Joe has contracted Covid-19 twice and recovered, while also progressing well from his injuries. He is now able to open his eyes and move his limbs when told to do so
‘UNBELIEVABLY HARD’
Only Joe’s mum has been allowed to visit under virus restrictions, with his relatives now wondering how to explain the world’s COVID chaos to him.
His aunt Sally Flavill-Smith said he has taken “amazing steps” in recent weeks and is now blinking, smiling and raising his legs on instruction.
“It’s the best we have seen him recently. It might seem like little progress, but the fact he can give the nurse a high five is a really big step,” she told Staffordshire Live.
“It’s unbelievably hard for his mum not being able to see him.