‘We caught Covid and we recovered’
The last thing Varun Guru thought would happen to him going to his close friend’s wedding was contracting Covid-19.
In February, Guru and his wife, Remya, booked plane tickets from Wellington and hotel accommodation for what was to be a dream day. As reports started coming in about the pandemic from around the world, Remya admitted the couple had become frightened.
However, they were determined to attend the wedding, setting out with face masks and hand sanitiser. The pair flew into Queenstown on March 19, spending a day there before heading to Invercargill by car.
Guru said he thought they were at greater risk of catching the virus staying in Queenstown – so much so that when they were there, they stayed holed up in their hotel room.
The wedding itself, on March 21, took place ‘‘in a grand manner’’, Remya said, including a ceremony at Invercargill and a reception at the Oyster Cove Restaurant in Bluff. But that same celebration would go on to produce one of New Zealand’s biggest clusters of the virus, with more than 90 confirmed and probable cases linked to the event.
The pair, who both work at Wellington City Council, landed back in the capital on March 22.
Guru said there was no indication anything was wrong at first — he was asymptomatic.
Then, about March 25, he developed a high fever and a sore throat. This was, as Remya said, ‘‘when the trouble erupted’’.
The next day, the pair received a call from their friend whose marriage they attended, saying a guest had tested positive, and to expect a call from public health officials.
‘‘Within a few hours, the phone rang and it was painful to see Varun struggling to come up with words. The whole scenario had already pushed the two of us into a depth of uncertainty,’’ Remya said.
As per advice from health officials, the pair visited Keneperu Hospital in Porirua the following day, to undergo a test. Fully covered nurses came and took a swab from the pair’s noses and throats while they were in their car.
‘‘That night I hugged Varun
tighter than usual and tried hard to hide the burning fear inside me,’’ Remya said. ‘‘The next day . . . our worst fears came true.’’
Guru had tested positive, while Remya tested negative. Officials told them to maintain social distancing, even though they lived together.
Remya said it was an ‘‘unthinkable’’ scenario. But they went ahead, with Guru moving into a separate room of the house and using another bathroom. Meanwhile, Guru’s throat infection and fever worsened. Remya said she prayed for her husband to get better.
On April 8, Guru had been asymptomatic for 48 hours. However, a second test that day came back positive. Again, on April 19, despite being asymptomatic, a third positive result returned. Finally, last Tuesday, Guru tested negative.
But in the middle of Guru recovering, about mid-April, Remya began suffering a sore throat, fever, headache, nausea and increased period pains. She also experienced body aches, and a loss of taste.
By this point, Guru was asymptomatic, so took on the role of caring for her.
‘‘I stopped watching news that spread panic and also gave up the habit of doing corona-related Google searches. The trustworthy daily briefing of our country’s prime minister became the only source of relief,’’ Remya said.
She said for the first time in her life, she felt happy the pair’s son was not with them, ‘‘so that only two of us will suffer’’. Fiveyear-old Rigved is in India with grandparents.
Their local New World supermarket in Porirua and an Indian grocer had helped deliver food to their doorstep, while Netflix, YouTube, yoga and twometre apart ‘‘heart-to-heart’’ conversations helped the pair keep a positive frame of mind.
As of Saturday, Remya joined her husband in being completely asymptomatic.
The pair said the biggest lesson they took from the experience was to face trials and tribulations with confidence.
‘‘This is how our lives must be taken forward,’’ Remya said. ‘‘All these experiences have succeeded in making us stronger.’’