Express News Service
KAKINADA: Three days after returning home to Rajamahendravaram from London on March 17, a 22-year-old management student felt sick and feared he had COVID-19.
Suspecting that he contracted the infection from his friends who tested positive, he got himself admitted at the Kakinada Government General Hospital, where he was put in the isolation ward.
On March 20, his test results returned positive. But within 14 days, he recovered and was reunited with his family. Sharing his experience with TNIE, the youngster advised those who have COVID-19 to stay mentally strong and not lose hope. “People who test positive can successfully recover and I am an example,” he said.
When he first suspected he was infected, the youngster feared the worst. “I was afraid I would die, and didn’t want to spread the virus. However, I didn’t lose hope, and was confident of beating the virus with medical treatment,” he said.
“I had to stay in an isolation ward, and felt like the whole world had come crumbling down…. For the first week, being alone and away from home was very difficult. I cried at times. However, I consoled myself saying that with the help of doctors, I would recover and see my family again,” he recounted. Heaping praise on the doctors, the student pointed out how they treated him day and night at the risk of getting infected themselves. “They would visit every day and check my health. From time to time they would collect samples to gauge my recovery. They took it is a challenge and succeeded,” he said.
‘Being alone is hard, but stay strong and don’t give up’
Recounting his time in the hospital, the student said, “Being alone is tough, but the isolation ward will be no different from any other place. You have to be mentally strong and believe in the doctors.” In the isolation ward, he did not call his family until the doctors told him he had recovered. He was treated at KGGH, and recovered within a week. In the subsequent days, his samples repeatedly tested negative and he recovered completely