Advertisement I caught COVID-19 before it had a name, in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, December 2019. After treatment for “an acute respiratory infection”, I flew to Siem Reap, where I was living, and went to the international hospital. Doctors did extensive tests. A Cambodian neurologist trained in Vietnam held up a brain scan, pointed at what he called “white matter” and told me I also had dementia. I certainly felt demented. I had a high temperature and a hacking cough. I cupped my ears in my hands to try to stop the headache threatening to explode my skull. I lost my sense of taste and smell. I just wanted to sleep. Fortunately, I had moved from my apartment to a hotel with airconditioning and its own generator, so I was able to escape the muggy heat.