COVID-19 IS REAL, STOP BEING CARELESS!

I had been well all day, except that by evening, I felt I was catching a cold. This cold had been lingering on all week when I went to the office after being away for a while, only to meet 2 colleagues with a severe cold  sneezing and coughing. 

A mere cold I thought turned into my worst nightmare within a few hours. I became restless, I couldn't sleep. I suddenly felt very sick. I had a fever; headache, my eyes hurt. Earlier that day I noticed that they looked and hurt like apollo- conjunctivitis. The discomfort associated with it, didn't help my plight. I ended up staying up till about 3.30am. Not even the pain reliever I had taken could relieve me of how I felt.

By morning, I couldn't wake up to get ready for the day. I ended up staying in bed. By now, a look in the mirror  showed my eyes were worse. My doctor friend who always checked up on me in the mornings got the response 'I feel sick, haven't felt this sick in ages.' I explained my symptoms to him and he recommended something for me to get after empathising with me and assuring me that I would be okay. I still couldn't do anything but needed to take breakfast before taking my meds, as I was already on medication before this new feeling of sickness set in.

The cup of milo I was drinking was tasteless. I resorted to add some more milo to my cup. It still didn't taste like anything to me. Worried, I decided to taste the piccadilly biscuit I was having with Mayonnaise spread on it as I did not eat bread. You remember the popular piccadilly biscuit from Secondary school days- Sh3mema. That was tasteless as well with all the mayonnaise spread on it. The slices of pineapple had no taste as well. I finally had to ask my sister whether that biscuit was naturally tasteless, perhaps I was hallucinating. 

My thought process was becoming distorted as well. By now I began to wonder if everything was okay with me. Let me go have a lie down, I would wake up feeling better, I assured myself. Unlike during the night, when I couldn't sleep due to the intense pain and inability to catch my breath, I resorted to sleep my pain away. I must have felt relieved while sleeping for an hour or so, but woke up to the pain again.

Could this be the much-talked about COVID-19? Hell no, I can't have COVID, I haven't been in contact with anyone who has it. I can't have it, I reassured myself.  I began to google the symptoms, that of the new strain included conjunctivitis as reported by some persons. Loss of taste and smell as well and a general feeling of being sick. Don't forget the symptoms that we were already familiar with before the new variance strain. I had to check if I could smell anything, only then did it occur to me that, I had sprayed on my deodorant that morning without smelling it, I hadn't smelled anything that day. But that was normal sometimes when you had the flu or- I quickly sprayed on some perfume, I couldn't smell it. I sprayed on my favourite which I vividly could even imagine smelling in my mind on an ordinary day, not today, nothing was working.

My  friend said to go and get tested for COVID-19. Quite a war it was between us. 'Oh so you want me to get COVID right?' I asked him.

'No loss of taste and smell- those symptoms and you mentioned you haven't felt this sick in ages, I don't want you to get COVID, that's why you need to go get the test done now.' I had no appetite for food either, I ate because I had to take my meds.

We're done talking for the day. Didn't know that my friend would want me sick of nothing less than COVID-19, it baffled my mind. Don't forget I was getting kind of confused and forgetful too. After battling within me and shutting out the friend who thought because he was a doctor, could be recommending a COVID test, I sent for the medication he prescribed and began to self-isolate as he advised earlier.

By Tuesday,  reality was setting in. My friend had to justify why I needed to get the test done, not because he wished the virus upon me, but because I was showing symptoms, did not live alone and the need to get tested early in order to protect those around me. His wanting me to get tested, was for me to also get better, so I stopped overreacting. 

However, those were not days I picked calls or texted people back. I was selective with people I spoke with and wasn't mentioning I was ill. Also, I became angry with my colleagues who had a cold when I went to the office. Above all, I was  angry with people for spreading the virus. 

I was quite sure I had been masking up, washing my hands at the least thing- if you know me very well, I used to wash my hands a million times a day before COVID. A habit my siblings and I picked up from childhood growing up with a mum who was obsessed with washing her hands and would reprimand you for not washing your hands when you touched surfaces, got back home from town etc. I could use a big pack of tissue in just a day. Yes, I would get to work and wash my hands as soon as I stepped out of the car. Use a tissue to open the doors, wipe my work surface with tissue and drops of sanitizer as well as my seat, drop my bag, set up my laptop and off to wash my hands before anything else. I was quite a sight when I got to work, that, even colleagues began to mimic and tease me about it.

Story of my life for days. Not tasting anything I ate or smelling stuff. I got used to the new normal-eating to fill my tummy and not because it tasted delicious. On the journey, I would eat chocolates every hour to check if my taste was restored. I got a tall list of things I could take and do to feel better from my boss who knew people who had recovered from COVID. 

So you see, to me,  I had been taking care of myself until two weeks ago. Look, life has a way of teaching you lessons before the bigger blow- COVID-19 is no respecter of persons; age, colour, race, health status-else some people are already battling with some really serious medical conditions that this virus shouldn't even dare to get close. Yet that same virus has cut short their life's journey.

I know people who have complained about being sick, who disappear or go into hibernation for a while. They never tell you what it is, they only come back strong- no one is willing to disclose their COVID status to you. They would rather be quiet about it. Being quiet about it after you've spread the virus is wrong. You should speak up so that people can contact-trace, isolate in order to prevent further spread and get treated too. Yes, people don't care about you, but the fact that they think or heard you have COVID, would begin to regularly check up on you, because they want to be able to determine how it will affect them as persons-especially when they know they've shared the same space with you lately. That's just human nature, but all of these prevent people from disclosing their status to you. Only a few do, even our MPs aren't doing so.

To sum up, I regained my sense of smell and taste within a couple of days. Regained my appetite for food, so that I would crave for  icecream, goat light soup and my favourite Cheezzy pizza, and post it several times on my status. I felt stronger and healthier within a couple of days. 

I believe the journey to recovery lies with us, every individual and organisation has a role to play-this cannot be government's sole responsibility. Government cannot wear a nose mask for you. Government cannot wash your hands for you. 

There are people who barely wash their hands, not even COVID is making them wash their hands now. There are people who do not own hand sanitizers or have even bothered to invest in one. There are others who do not wear nose masks- regardless of the fact that you could be arrested for not wearing one. Some wear it only when they  are going to a place where they could encounter a Police man, others refuse to wear a mask due to familiarity-oh I'm getting bananas down the street. They do that whole trip without a mask forgetting that the banana seller deals with lots of people in a day and is probably not masked up. Don't mass up at events and people still do.

While you decide to flout the directive on observing the safety protocols,  remember that, you will suffer the pain alone, alone with no one. It's not a good feeling even if you experienced the mildest of symptoms or respiratory infection. Psychologically, it has a toll on you. The worse of it, should be, being in isolation and having no one hug or touch you to say you will be okay. In the hospital, you won't have visitors-incase you decide to be careless. It can get lonely and boring in isolation-think about it before endangering your life and those of others. Money cannot save you, else the prominent would not be succumbing. 

Be sensible a bit, stop being wiser than yourself. No one is immune to COVID-19, if you haven't got it yet, grace has kept you. At least if you don't care or value yourself enough to wear a mask, wash your hands or use sanitizers as and when you can, observe social distancing, think about the lives you're risking by being careless. COVID-19 is real, take care of yourself!

Photo Source: Google Photos