The Brave Corona Warriors – Covid-19 In The Line Of Duty

Bengaluru: Sharanya from Ward 95 is a true fighter and is an inspiring example for others who are battling their fears and anxieties about COVID-19.  

An Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), Sharanya conducted surveys, collected samples, and shifted the primary and secondary contacts of COVID-positive patients to quarantine centres.

Life on the frontlines is never risk-free. Her colleague tested positive and after a few days Sharanya too had symptoms such as body ache, dizziness, sore throat, dry cough and a slight increase in her body temperature. These symptoms lasted three days and she remembers taking a common cold tablet and believing that she will be fine the next day.

On the contrary, her face started swelling and eyes started reddening along with frequent running nose. The next day, her rapid antigen test was negative, but the RT-PCR test was positive. She recalls her own reaction: “It seemed the whole world was going to turn upside down.” And on the same day, she lost her sense of smell and taste.

The primary health centre Sharanya was reporting to was immediately closed and sanitized. Leaving her six-year-old child at her mother’s place for a few days, Sharanya was overcome by guilt that she might have passed on the infection to others. Once she tested positive, her husband was asked to get tested, who also found positive . Fortunately, her child tested negative.

Sharanya had packed her husband’s and her own clothes. They were shifted in different ambulances to different Corona Care Camps – the G K Vijnana Kendra and the GKVK-horticulture. CFAR arranged for their ambulances.

Once admitted at the Corona Care Centre, Sharanya was in low spirits for a few days. She was worried about her family and about their uncertain future. News reports on television and negative stories on other social media platforms added to her anxiety. She even called a psychiatrist at one point whom she had met at a camp but did not reveal her identity for the fear of stigma. The conversation with the doctor helped as she stared opening up and became relaxed.

At the Corona Care Centre, she and her husband were given Hydroxychloroquine, antibiotics, zinc and vitamin C supplements on the first five days. On the next five days, they were only given zinc and vitamin C tablets. Sharanya remembers being treated “very well” by the doctors and nurses. Apart from her yearning for home-made warm meals, she was quite happy and content with the services she got.

After being discharged, the couple was asked to stay indoors for 15 more days. Sharanya says the only expense they had to bear throughout the treatment was the travel back home.

She has emerged from the experience feeling both stronger and more confident. She is back to work and she now fights the virus and helps others do the same with more zeal than ever before! She is a truly a brave Corona Warrior!

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