COVID killed my penis

Craig Powe has been the subject of much ridicule since he disclosed to the world that his penis has gone into a slumber since he contracted COVID-19.

The 25-year-old said that since being infected with the respiratory virus, he struggles to get it up and no longer has any sexual urges.

"Before I had COVID, I was totally fine. I'm a person whose penis rises up in the morning and it's just not there anymore at all," he told THE STAR. "I even went on a date, we kissed and I was really getting excited about the sex, but I just didn't have any urge."

Powe shared his struggle on his Instagram page. He has since received scores of feedback, many of which have not been positive.

Biggest meme

"I'm probably like the biggest meme right now because people are making fun of my penis not working, and it kinda hurt, but I do get a lot of support as well. My thing is to help someone to not be in my position so I will suffer the consequences to save someone else," Powe told THE STAR.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) refers to the inability to get or keep an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse. A recent study done in Rome, Italy, concluded that COVID-19 can cause ED. The preliminary findings are that men with COVID-19 are more than five times likely to have ED.

Earlier this week, urologist Dr Elon Thompson said that while younger men between 20-35 are coming in to be treated for ED, he cannot link their condition to COVID-19.

Powe, meanwhile, said that other men who have been similarly affected have also reached out to him to share their experiences.

"Other people have called to say that after COVID their penis is not working too, but they are scared to talk about it publicly," he said. "The best thing for anyone to do is just to get vaccinated to stay away from this thing. I got my vaccine because having COVID was one of the scariest times of my life."

Powe developed severe disease with COVID. He had pneumonia and said his liver started to fail, which led to him being admitted to hospital twice. He told THE STAR that his sex life is not hurting from his inability to get it up at the moment, as he is currently single.

"Me and my girlfriend broke up like three weeks before I got COVID so I'm not affected that much now, but I'm a very sexual person and sex is very important for a lot of females, so I'm hoping things go back to normal soon," he said.