Coronavirus

Just two weeks to the end of February, I was infected with The Covid-19 virus, famously known as the Coronavirus. I had begun to experience coughs, fever, and tiredness, so I went to the neighborhood hospital set by the government to attend to and treat the Coronavirus victims. Because of overcrowding as the disease was spreading fast, I was turned away by the health officers, and they assumed that I was panicking. I told them how I felt, but they couldn’t hear me and turned me away over the fact that I appeared to be okay but never tested okay.

On reaching home, I just knew if I don’t do something about myself, I was going to succumb to the illness. My government had rejected me, so I turned to social media and wrote: “I don’t want to die. I don’t know what to do.” Luckily it caught most people’s attention, and I became a trend. Operation saves my life was sensitized. As I waited for a presumed miracle to happen, I closed myself into my room for self-quarantine for three days. While the third day was on the verge of ending, I received a phone call and instructed to go back to the hospital. At the hospital, there were no longer any Coronavirus test kits to test new cases. I was taken to a quarantine center as we awaited a new arrival of a batch of test kits from the Center for Disease Control headquarters.

At the quarantine halls, we shared a room with five other people who were suspected of having been infected with the Coronavirus. The room was partitioned and covered by glass to contain the infections from contracting whoever who wasn’t infected. We had to lay on our beds a whole day for two days before the batch arrived. Finally, what I was feeling was confirmed, I got a positive result, but the hospital said it had to do two consecutive tests and have the same result to admit me.

During treatment, the hospital was flooded with corona patients, so we shared a ward with eight infected people, but that wasn’t a problem for me. All I had begun to hope for is that I beat the disease and dodge death. I was grateful I got abed in the hospital. Still, after admission later that day, the Coronavirus had become dominant in my body as I had started to get difficulties in breathing. I was taken to the Intensive Care Unit to continue receiving medication while on breathing support. After getting intensive care, my condition has begun to stabilize, but I spent most of my time reliving moments of what if.

After a few days, I was recovered and stable and was let out of the intensive care to recuperate with other people who had been infected. I stayed in the hospital for nine days, and I was put to the test, and my result had gone negative. This was good news to me as I was discharged after a similar test was done to confirm the disease was gone. On reaching home, I had to make myself scrabble eggs and take some nuts to feel alive again.

At the onset of the feeling of being sick, my strength lay in my perception as I was sure to conquer the disease. This changed afterward when I went to the hospital and got rejected. I was left angry and devastated, not knowing what to do. I thought the beginning of my end was just beginning. I thought of how I had gone to die to myself and how I was to leave my family helpless, and I am the firstborn to my son. I thought of how they could feel if I was dead. I was feeling pity to myself who I was to die so soon and not even never to have achieved my dreams. Pity to my friends and family who could mourn me after my death was all over my mind. At first, I feared to die, and I was scared of how it was going to feel while dying. I slept in my room before getting the hospital admission, selfishly thinking of how I could have the power I could build my hospital and have my doctors who could attend to me whenever I was ailing. After being admitted and felt better with settled mind and later my conditioned worsened, I was in agony, and my mind wouldn’t rest cursing all the medical practitioners who had turned me away the first time I had come to report the case.

Currently, I am happy and grateful to God, who presented me with an opportunity to continue with my young life. Although, at times, I am exposed to some levels of stigmatization by my community members, I am cheerful and positive-minded that God had a perfect reason why he had chosen me to live still. I have devoted to praise and worship God for the best times of my life. Before I had contracted the virus, I never thought how serious it could. After experiencing it, I have thought daily to have myself do dangerous things any time something terrible is be cautioned against the public.

I learned through experience that there are good people out there whom your life could depend on. One should never hold on to oneself on his condition or feeling. Had I kept silent about my feeling of being sick on social media, I could be a story my siblings and society could testify to their kids someday. I stayed safe in a self-guarantee for the two days preventing my family members from contracting the virus. I also instructed the people at the hospital to send professionals to help disinfect my room to kill the virus that was putting my family members at risk.

After being discharged from the hospital, I have written to the hospital to complain of how they had sent me away without testing me, but I was made aware that they were now testing anyone who goes to their premises. People had put pressure on the government to conduct tests and force people to stay in their houses to curb the spread of the disease. The disease taught me to always keep a reasonable distance from anybody who feels unwell. Also, the disease came with a higher sensitization of the public to maintain self-hygiene on the top levels. Construction and adequate funding of all hospital levels have been spearheading as a result of the outbreak.  Personally, my affection to God and those of other members have risen to personal levels.

The virus solicited different reactions from both the infected and those who weren’t. While we were at the hospital, I was hardly hit by the infection, but some colleagues who had been discovered positive in the early stages were hard hit with the disease. They experienced light coughs and fluctuations in body temperatures. Lucky for my never say die spirit, I fought and made it home. Some of the infected succumbed to the virus; most of them were the elderly whose lungs and body cells had started to die. Some people who had other chronic diseases we’re susceptible to the virus due to their weak immune systems. Most of the people with chronic diseases were held in intensive care units to help them fight for their lives.

My age was the primary reason why I fought and won my survival battle. My body cells were still developing, and my former healthy state meant that I had more potent resisting abilities. Survival is a game of the mind, I had configured my mind to achieve the best as soon as I got to the hospital, and that got me feeling different from other people. Most people were negative after hearing about the casualties the diseased had caused while I kept my faith in recovering even after my condition worsened.

An experience indeed is when you learn better. In case there is ever a pandemic or rather an active outbreak of a contagious disease similar to Coronavirus. I will make sure all preventive measures are put in place, as stated by the relevant authorities. I would also act accordingly and avoid panic as for confident professionals with put the situation to control. Lastly, I would ensure the government and health professional’s acts accordingly and avoid assumption and rely on factual data collected from someone.