Never ignore early Covid symptoms
Senior paediatrician wins battle against virus with little care
I tested positive for Covid
19 on July 14 with a rapid antigen test. As a paediatrician and head of the neonatology department in a hospital, I was constantly seeing child patients.
Since children do not wear masks, it is clear that they are the asymptomatic carriers and it was bound to pass on to their treating doctors.
I had the initial symptoms of fever, bodyache and cough. The symptoms made it clear that it was
Covid-19 despite my CT scan showing that I was negative.
I did not want to take a chance. My wife is a gynaecologist and she tested negative. I quarantined myself in a different room and wore the mask at home. It was important for me to protect her and others by wearing a mask always.
I was under home treat
ment of my pulmonologist as the symptoms were mild and the medicines worked but required complete rest, sleep, eating healthily and drinking enough water. Apart from that, I checked my parameters regularly and reported. This made medical management easy.
I recovered in two weeks but when I returned to work it was clear that all of us should practice social distancing and personal protection kits were a must when seeing patients. This has helped all of us as there is not a single positive case in my hospital now.
I also went ahead and donated plasma for my friend’s father. It is very important that we register and volunteer for this donation as it helps.
It is very important that doctors and healthcare workers not ignore their symptoms as there is bound to be a high viral load. The earlier we seek treatment better for us, otherwise there are chances of becoming really very, very sick.
Given the high workload, it was a tough decision for me but I acted early. Many doctors and healthcare workers in the younger age group are suffering as they ignored the early signs and it took a drastic and traumatic turn for many of them.
The writer is a senior paediatrician and chief neonatologist.
(As told to Kaniza Garari)