Teenager emerging from 10-month coma may know nothing about pandemic – but has had Covid twice

The 19-year-old’s family are only able to communicate with him via video call

The teenager suffered from a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a car last March (Joseph’s Journey )

A teenager who fell into a coma just weeks before the UK went into a national lockdown, has begun to emerge from his unconscious state, but with no knowledge that the world is in the midst of a pandemic. The 19-year-old has also caught and recovered from Covid twice.

Joseph Flavill, from Staffordshire, was walking in Burton upon Trent on 1 March 2020 when he was hit by a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He has since spent the past 11 months in a coma, unaware of the coronavirus pandemic unfolding around the world.

The teenager is slowly beginning to recover and on Sunday his family announced on social media that he had made further progress in emerging from his stage two coma. An update was released on Joseph’s fundraising page, “Joseph’s Journey” which explained how he was “beginning to respond to simple commands and stimulation.”

The update explained how he is now able to “move both his legs” and touch “his left and his right ear when asked to do so.” 

The Independent spoke to his aunt, Kate Yarbo who explained that although the teenager is “trapped in because he is non-verbal," he is now able to respond yes and no through blinking “once for yes and twice for no.”

When asked about whether or not Joseph knew about the pandemic, Ms Yarbo said that the family “don’t know what he (Joseph) knows yet because he’s still non-verbal.”

His aunt went on to say that since September 2020, Joseph’s mother had been allowed to visit him once on his birthday, but that she had to “stay two metres distance in full PPE.” She added that all other communications with her nephew had “been through the power of Zoom.”

Joseph was studying for his A-levels at The de Ferrers Academy in Burton when he suffered a traumatic brain injury last March. He spent the following six months in a coma in Leicester General Hospital before he was moved to a neurological rehabilitation centre, Adderley Green, in Stoke-on-Trent in September.

Before the accident, the 19 year-old was a very sporty and active teenager who played hockey, county cricket, surfed and skied. He had also been due to receive his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award from Buckingham Palace in May 2020.

Mr Flavill’s family have raised nearly £33,000 in their “Joseph’s Journey” campaign to help raise awareness of traumatic brain injuries and support the teenager’s long-term recovery.