This blog is one of my personal blog post, like the post ~ “Why these blog?”. No, it is not a click bait, as the title suggests the post is what it is. My reasoning behind this post is to help you through my experience. To simply say it- help me, to help you!
I decided to share my experiences during the time I was tested out covid-19 positive as this post contains fun, little awareness, some drama, a lot of comedy, testimony of miracles and few realization of certain truth in this span of time. Though I declared from the start that I am not doing this for any other petty reasons and this would be fun but I hope in this process this post won’t be lame long winded explanation of events.
{Before we start let’s check on some facts}
A virus unlike a bacteria is tinier, it is in different shapes and made of proteins . It can’t survive own it’s own but as soon as it gets a suitable living host it acts as a living organism replicating itself. It can have a parasitic relation with it’s host.
For novel covid-19 or coronavirus our human body is a suitable condition for it’s growth and human to human contact made it spread. It is a respiratory virus affecting our respiratory system i.e mainly our lungs. So an affected person when sneezes or even talks, their tiny droplets of nasal or mouth liquid can contain these active virus. Symptomatic people shows symptoms of the virus like breathing problems, high body temperature, sore throat, fatigue, body pain, etc.
While asymptomatic people doesn’t show any symptoms. But when tested, they come out to be covid-19 positive. Asymptomatic people acts like a carrier of these viruses without their knowledge. That’s why the mask and social distance. The soap and concentrated alcohol applied on your skin or surfaces breaks the molecular structure of the virus. (Please, me telling about the breaking of structure of a virus, doesn’t mean you to drink highly concentrated alcohol as doing so you will die or don’t try to drink soap water either which is unhealthy).
Virus can survive on surface for certain amount of time for different objects and our human contact to those surfaces can be also be one of the mode of transmission. This is where sanitization, gloves, PPE kit comes in. Worst thing about this virus is it is genetically mutating itself, making itself sustainable and making hard for humankind.
How did it all start and how did I contracted the virus?
By now the knowledge of novel coronavirus or Covid-19’s origin and it’s precautionary measures are byheart to everyone (if not, let me be kind enough to help you, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/coronavirus-causes) due it’s massive devastating impact such that it has been proclaimed as a global pandemic. Me yapping about the wet market in Wuhan, China, won’t do us any good. Even though now Chinese government is getting on our nerves with their missile threats and annexation.
But what I want to shed some light is on a whistleblower in China. Dr. Li Wenliang, he was a Chinese ophthalmologist who worked at Wuhan Central Hospital. On the month of December 2019, the Wuhan hospital witnessed numerous patients with mysterious pneumonia. Dr. Li inspected the medical reports by curiosity and concluded that this was again a SARS outbreak. He shared his opinions with his friends but asked them to keep it a secret. This message got out and was on Chinese online platform. Dr. Li was admonished and his discovery was suppressed by higher officials, though he got some online support. He was removed from his job.
He got his job back when the virus was recognized but it was not SARS, similar but worse. It was termed as novel-coronavirus 19. He died from the disease on 7 February 2020, at age 33. A subsequent Chinese official inquiry exonerated him, and the Communist Party of China formally offered a “solemn apology” to his family and revoked the admonishment of him. By early June 2020, five more doctors from the Wuhan hospital, since nicknamed the “whistleblower hospital”, had died from COVID-19.
No! I have no secret agenda or any propaganda to promote. Neither have I any intentions to hurt anyone’s feeling or obstruct their truth to throw shade at anyone. If by any chance I happen to offend you by any means please do forgive me, I apologies beforehand as I do not intent to upset anyone.
So? Where is the fun, drama and all the other things said, you ask. Well, here it comes…
Now, how did it I contracted the virus? This is going to take a long, to help you picture my scenario. Buckle up! When Covid-19 cases in India started showing up and lockdown was announced in our country. We were locked up in our homes and were following instructions. Oh also, it was the previous day we had newly moved in, so we were told to be quarantined by our colony. So, we did. There were some weird instructions on the month of March which involved banging metallic utensils and chanting “Go Corona Go!!!” at 5 pm. Random strangers explaining on social platforms that by doing so for few minutes would eradicate virus because of it’s vibration or resonance. Okay! chanting with metallic or any other percussion, provided with that explanation was little dumb but hey we did to prove them that’s not how antigens are dealt.
Later on April, a new decree was passed i.e switching off all lights and lighting diyas (Indian lamp) or a candle at 9 pm for nine minutes. This was more like a vigil and I personally respected it. As sincere collective prayers of our whole country for a good purpose, sounds fun. Diverse belief united, can do miracles. Yet, Corona cases spread like a wildfire. God always has better plans, I believe in His wisdom. Humans must have really messed up so bad that God gave us all a big timeout. Lockdown was extended for sake of public safety.
Picture this, newly moved (not much food in stock as we tried to reduce the load), extended lockdown (where one family member can go out to get necessary food supply in ration), whole family home quarantined (so no one can leave the house till 2 weeks) and our fridge stopped working (for a week or two). By God’s grace and kindness of a church family friend we had a perfect lavish meal packed for us by them on the first day in our new home. (I should have mentioned their name here but I would rather appreciate their safety and privacy) Though from the third or so on, me and my family were becoming grumpier. We were on some kind of Hunger Games survival mode, one turning on other maybe our primal instincts were acting up. Our mental and physical health was shaky but we hold down our forts well and good, by the mercy of God. Here I must add that the situation everywhere around the country was upsetting too, the poor and daily wagers, really hit the bottom in this situation. Transportation was completely shut to which most of the people walked kilometers to their village i.e days and days of walking with mere supplies on them.
Things got little worse on the month of September for us, by now lockdown was partially lifted up and office was opened up to be physically reported in. (Till then it was work from home for most). Father got back to work, now mental stress was building upon him and rubbing on us too because of his work in his office. It was bad outside and inside the house. On sunday, 20 September 2020, my father woke up at 5 and fainted on passage way to bathroom. None knew any of this, after sometime he himself woke up. When he opened his eyes, he was confused for few seconds as where he was sleeping. He got back to his bed and slept for some more time. He narrated us his morning escapade to bathroom. We took our car and headed straight to hospital, the right as well as the worst place to be at this time of global distress.
Doctors who checked him where genuinely gentle, there two male doctors who just wore a face shield, medical mask and pair of medical gloves. They were kind and patient to listen his narrative symptoms. We were told to stay back in our house and wait till we are informed about the test results via call.
It was approximately one day chore for three of us to check up one among us. We were dehydrated and hungry as we felt it was unwise to intake of any food outdoor.
We waited for whole day and then decided to call the next day but the hospital line didn’t quite entertained our calls. So my father decide go to hospital and directly get his report but it backfired as when he traveled back to hospital with my mother. I was visited by government officials who were tracking my father’s route map as he was tested positive. I was rudely treated by those great people but the greatest surprise to me was that among those government officials included our colony secretary who bombarded me with insults. I was furious but scared at the same time. I didn’t go with my father as I wasn’t feeling too well but these esteemed personality have just sold their humanity to devil. Seriously, I have known parents being blames for their children’s action but never have I heard it going other way around. Meanwhile, my mother was told to be tested and they said the results would be telephoned to us on the next day.
My parents came in ambulance as they were now symptomatic patients but they had to pay Rs.5000. 5000 rupees or 68.31 US dollars for one way trip from hospital to home which surely must be the double the regular fare. That was somewhat a luxurious ride as we are a middle class family. My father who was sick but paying out this much made him more paler than usual. It wasn’t because he was miser but the country’s financial circumstance wasn’t smooth. Conditions we read or heard on news were that there were many who lost their job which led to committing suicide or like us have been deprived of health and have lost lot of money to the medical.
We were again quarantined and worst case the whole colony shunned us or to say we were black listed. We were going through physical as well as mental trauma. Mother was handling the situation, maybe the maternal instincts was acting up as even though her health was not so better she sacrificed herself to make sure we all could recuperate with healthy diet, sanitation and air circulation. It was like a mother hen protecting her young chick, which includes me and my father. She really was brave but I never acknowledged it to her face.
So, my mother’s result came on next on a call followed by the instruction that I need to be tested for covid too. As per the orders given to me I too went to the hospital with my mother to get tested, taking all the necessary precautionary and following the mandatory laws i.e wearing mask and carrying a hand sanitizers. Like a warrior equipping his armor before he goes to a battlefield, I was prepared to face the consequence with my face mask and latex medical gloves.
This time moving out from my room, I realized there was a barricade which blocked the path while marking us quarantined. Colony had arranged a car for us but this wasn’t an act of kindness or something for them but we were in need of that desperate favor. We were on heavy criticism, also under continuous monitoring.
Way to hospital I vomited in the vehicle but luckily we were carrying plastic bag for some other purpose. Lately, I realised that lately, I been having these vomiting sensation while sitting at the back of a car usually because of motion sickness but it wasn’t the case for every car’s back seat ride.
The hospital didn’t allow me to tested directly, I had to fill a form from a dispensary from the previous location I lived, i.e the registered locality dispensary which I couldn’t change due to pandemic. There I was given the very same form that I saw at the hospital and no I am not saying the forms were similar but the exact form was available at hospital. The unnecessary travel to dispensary could have been avoided. In the name of pandemic and undeserved respect some people get they exploit it to make people suffer.
They swabbed from my mouth as well as from my nose, the length of the cotton swab put inside deep in my nose was scary. I literally had teary eyes when the the swab scrapped my nasal passage. My mother collected her results as well as her prescribed medicines which was a HCQ tablets, Zinc tablets, cough syrup and some vitamin medicine.
We got back to our home via the vehicle provided and I was supposed to collect my report on the following day. The next day I was alone to the hospital. I was just told to collect my prescribed medicine and x-ray report, that’s all to it.
Doctors had something else on their mind, they suggested me to isolation center. I called my folks and my aunty, who is in the medical field. My parents freaked out but it was my aunt who was petrified. She explained the lately the isolation center, somewhere in North India, was inhabited by HIV positive patients with rest of covid patients. I turned to doctor but they adamant this time to send me to isolation center while one of the patient who was chosen for isolation center but he opted for home quarantine.
Fate was kinder to me, the person who I befriended on the same hospital, a six foot guy became my isolation center roommate.
At first it was difficult for my parents to digest but slowly along with time, we all adapted to the situation we were. I always had wished to live in a hostel far away from my parents. Like the Monkey paw story, I should be careful what I wish as it may come true. Technically, it did come true for me. I wanted a hostel life, I got one . I thanked God as my all boys hostel life didn’t have any ragging and far from it my six foot friend treated me like his younger brother.
The 14 days quarantine shortened to 12 days. The food was awful later we ordered food online. My vicar and father’s cousin helped me providing essentials like cloth, food and other items. I survived the wave. By the end I reached home safely. I thanked God for keeping me safe. When I reached home, my father had burnt his own thigh as he himself spilled boiled water on himself. So things weren’t ended happy. We were really fighting to settle in by now things had reached far south. Yet, we held on tightly to God.
When things started to cool down, the phone rang for my father’s covid retest. It was horrifying because even the day before the test my father was coughing up and complaining his tiresome. We three prayed to God as only God could save us now.
The results came via a call the lady consultant confirmed that my father was covid negative. According to the new law imposed, only working govt. member are to be tested rest of the family need not test until they are working away from home.
Phew! There was some good news as vaccine had completed it’s final stage and was sanctioned to be deployed amongst crowd in full scale but the Indian vaccine requires storage extreme cold temperature. So transportation is really difficult and mass production is expensive. There was a major twist, a new strain of coronavirus was found. The virus has itself modified and the new virus happens to spread a little faster. More to the amusement the vaccine also has some mild side effects but maybe this time doing something is better than doing nothing, I guess. Now, when I relive the past I feel I can face any massive storm when God’s mercy is upon me. More importantly I should be with God, as in I should be righteous and unlike pharisees or sadducees I shouldn’t be a hypocrite which God despises. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Sadly, I know I am hypocrite but God still forgives me and He allows me with plenty of opportunity to repent. I know for sure that it was God’s grace that I could endure everything with a pretty big smile on my face.
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