COVID-19 – A Reality of Life
COVID-19 is like a burglar that you do not even know when it will strike. That no matter how you prepared yourself against burglary, there is nothing that can stop a determined burglar.
I always observe health protocols to ensure that I will be free from COVID-19 infection. I got four (4) shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. But then, I still contracted the virus. I suspect that other people around me particularly at work transmitted the virus to me. These people do not even care about wearing a face mask when talking to other people. Even if they have a face mask, it is covering their chin, not the nose or mouth.
The day I did my RT-PCR test, I experienced chills. My temperature rose up to 38.3OC. The next day, my temperature is back to normal. I have occasionally experienced this situation in the past thus I thought, it was just another of those past chilling experiences. The next day when the test result came out, I was positive for the COVID-19 virus.
RT-PCR Test Result
With the result I saw, I pretend that it was only a dream that I wanted to wake up real fast. No, it is not a dream, it is the reality.
Within 12 hours of getting the RT-PCR result, I reported to a government COVID-19 screening facility. The medical staff has put me into several diagnostics including a chest x-ray and a confirmatory RT-PCR test. All my vitals are normal except for a bit of high blood pressure. Probably, due to the stress. It was confirmed that truly I got the virus inside me.
As the result of my diagnostics are normal, I am not experiencing any of the usual symptoms of a COVID-19 virus-infected individual, the facility sent me home for isolation rather putting me into a quarantine facility.
Usually, I would have been given a tracking monitor to restrict my movement, this time there was none and I do not know the reason behind it. I was told by some of my friends that due to the high number of COVID-19 infected individuals, the government run out of tracking monitors.
Home Isolation
My condition was kept secret from my flatmates to prevent panic. I just restricted my usage to common areas when nobody was there. More so, I did ensure that I do sanitize every time I use a common facility. Some flatmates were actually wondering why I was not reporting to work during my home isolation. Only my landlord knows about my condition, who told me not to tell anyone about my condition. When someone asked me why I was not going to work, I just said that I need to consume my unused vacation leave credit in 2021.
The first days of my home isolation were just like having a vacation but not being able to go anywhere. As I am asymptomatic, everything seems so normal, until on the seventh day of my isolation, I decided to go for a RT-PCR test in a private clinic to determine if the virus has been eradicated from my system. Unfortunately, I was wrong, I still have the virus with me.
Depression
On the eighth day, a representative from the government health department visited me and have taken a swab from me. Again the result of my eighth day RT-PCR test was positive. This was the time that my high spirit crumbled. I am now losing hope that I will still be able to recover from the COVID-19 virus. I was having nightmares. I am losing hope. I can see no light at the end of the tunnel.
I confided to my family about my nightmares. I got a consolation from them. They were just too concerned about me. I have also asked for their prayers, not for my quick recovery but to clear my mind of any undesirable thinking. My family has asked me about my next RT-PCR test, I just answered back, I do not know. All I know is, I developed a phobia of the RT-PCR testing.
Recovery
On the tenth day of my isolation, I got another visit from the government health department to check my condition and do another RT-PCR test on me. I was actually so stressed then that all hope has gone away. I was not expecting any good result anymore. However, GOD listended to my prayers. When the test result was released, I am already COVID-19 virus free. The first words that came out of my mouth is THANK YOU LORD.
The ordeal that I experienced battling the virus is not uncommon. Many people even experienced worst than I am. Some even lost their lives.
The COVID-19 virus will be part of people’s lives in the next couple of decades. All we need to do is to learn how to cohabitate with viruses like the common colds virus or the flu.
I am thankful, that I was fully vaccinated when the virus struck me else being a person with comorbidities, it would have been worse.