‘It’s not a regular illness’

COVID survivor urges J’cans not to take virus lightly

Terrika Dixon, one of the first persons in Jamaica to contract the novel coronavirus, has described as “almost upsetting” comments from persons who have sought to caste doubt about the existence of the virus.

“I have never experienced my body feeling the way it did when I had COVID, it was like something foreign was in my body, and the experience I was having was so foreign it had to be something we had never experienced before,” Dixon told THE STAR.

The 35-year-old chef was diagnosed with the virus shortly after she returned from Trinidad and Tobago last March. She was among the first 20 persons in Jamaica to get the illness, which has claimed 1,300 lives locally and more than 4.3 million worldwide.

“It was not a regular illness, and while I know persons may have it and not have a severe reaction as I did, it was very much real. Even if you want to believe that it is some other illness, I think it is in your best interest to protect yourself from whatever it is,” she said.

Jamaica, which is currently experiencing a third wave of COVID19 infections, has more than 8,830 active COVID-19 cases after an additional 656 were confirmed last Saturday. More than 57,950 cases have been confirmed in the island. There were 15 fatalities last Saturday. Nearly four in every 10 persons tested for the virus have returned adverse findings. Dixon is urging Jamaicans to be cautious and practice personal responsibility to reduce transmission of the virus. While there has been no confirmation of the Delta variant in Jamaica, health officials are convinced it is here given that it is the most dominant strain in the United States. Studies have suggested that the Delta variant could cause more serious illness in unvaccinated persons.

Last year March, just a few days after returning from Trinidad and Tobago, Dixon started experiencing symptoms of what she thought was dengue or yellow fever. She had a high fever and a constant feeling of exhaustion and shortness of breath. Her family members urged her to seek urgent medical attention. Dixon was told by her family physician that she had developed bronchitis. She was wheezing badly, and her breathing difficulties increased, so much that Dixon said it sounded like “crushing a bag of chips”.

As it turned out, Dixon had contracted COVID-19 and had to be placed on the isolation ward at the University Hospital of the West Indies. It was a very scary time for the 35-year-old chef.

Dixon shared that she went to the hospital on Friday, March 13, and for the next two days she was hooked on the oxygen tank and had to get nebulized. In addition to coping with shortness of breath, she developed pneumonia. At the time of her admission, Dixon was one of three persons being treated for the novel COVID-19.

The chef said that she witnessed a patient’s death on the ward, and had times when she felt she “could not take it anymore and had to get out of this place.” She said she was determined to fight her way to recovery. After more than a month on the ward, she was declared free of COVID-19 and discharged.

Dixon has donated plasma several times to the University of the West Indies clinical trial to assist with treatment of other patients battling the virus. She is pleading with Jamaicans to do all they can to fight COVID-19.

COVID-19 has claimed 1,300 lives locally and more than 4.3 million worldwide.