Trigger: 23-year-old woman who eats well, plays sports regularly, is strong, healthy, and most of all, lively. Most young people don’t even expect to feel Covid, yet this is what I went through.
Day 1
My brother tested positive in Covid-19. I haven´t been near him recently so I might be fine. Actually, I have been ignoring that I was feeling a bit strange. I just had my period so I thought that would be it.
When you are on your period you have fewer defenses, so every time I have been ill, it coincided. That is a good reason why illnesses should be studied from a gender perspective too.
After a few hours… I tested positive for Covid. Confinement starts.
Day 1
It took me three hours to get out of bed. My greatest achievement of the day: to wash my face at some point.
Day 2
Today, I managed to get out of bed after one hour. I realized I was feeling so much better, so I took this chance to go have a shower and shave.
Shaving my legs felt like doing 30 squats or 10 push-ups.
When I moved my head too quickly, it felt like spinning over myself 10 times while dancing, but without the euphoria of dancing.
I decided to take a long nice shower and wash my hair. It was extremely messy after a couple of days without brushing it. After some time having my arms up trying to untangle it, I felt like I was running 10 km, so I decided to leave it and get some rest.
Day 3
Last night I finally assumed I was ill. Hence, I did not set an alarm and woke up at 11. I feel better now. A doctor finally called, and after 8 minutes of talking, he said he had to go as he had many more Covid calls awaiting. The good news is that I am having time off sick. It is probably the worst possible moment at work, but I really do not feel like working.
Day 4
My dad tested negative again, which means I have to stay in my room (as I was doing). Every time I want to use the toilet, I have to notify my dad. I value my freedom too much: being confined at home is one thing, but having to announce every time I need to pee is a whole other level.
Day 5
Today I woke up feeling normal for the first time. The muscle pain has ceased and I feel hungry again!
This coffee tastes like a plastic liquid going down my throat… and my toast… nothing. I feel the texture, but nothing else. Not this… I go have a shower with the loveliest shower gel and indeed, I have lost my smell and taste.
Friends who have had this symptom due to Covid said that it has not returned after months… It preoccupies me: I do not know about you, but since I normally eat at least 3 times a day, I consider tasting my food an important part of my daily happiness.
Yet today…it might not even be that bad; it looks like my dad got tired of cooking for us (since we cannot touch anything) and made a weird combo: Pizza + broccoli + nachos.
Day 6
News quickly spread. Many friends, family members, and colleagues are asking how I feel. “I feel better now thanks.” And then they tell you about their close experiences with Covid. “I refuse to hear this, thanks.”
Mad! My grandma tested positive… This is the never-ending network. Until you have it, you do not realize how contagious and aleatory coronavirus is. Further, once it enters your circle you realize that if it goes through so many just by starting with one case, how is it not going to quickly spread around the world?
And many more days to come…
People initially thinking this was a Chinese virus is something I am incapable of understanding. And again we committed the same mistake when the new strain seemed to appear in the UK… Countries simply restrained flights with London: one day after, others a week after, and some still think it only affects the Brits… In this globalized world, there are still things that are transferred faster than our voices…
The purpose is simply to invite people to reflect.
Starting with one’s own thoughts on the virus
- Thinking that just because you are young you are immortal. I am very healthy and still have been strongly affected by coronavirus.
- Thinking that you would not infect old people. My brother and I only visited my grandmother for a couple of hours on the 6th of January (Spanish festivity) with enough distance and ventilation, and still, she got the virus.
Following by one’s own actions
- Just one quick hug won’t do anything wrong. When we found out my brother was in contact with the virus, he locked himself in his room. Yet still, I got the virus.
Finalizing with reactions to politics
- Politicians do this good and this wrong… Maybe think first about the world that we live in. I attended a conference on Girl Security and Coronavirus, where Sharon Currie who had worked at Mount Sinai Hospital during the 2003 SARS epidemic said:
“If everyone in the world went nowhere for 3 weeks, the virus would die, but that is not possible”.
And why? Because of our mode of production, way of living…to sum up, the capitalist society that we live in.
Take care of yourself, be cautious about your actions and even thoughts, then take care of others, even strangers, and then please take care of the world that we live in.
Read also:
Kathrin Jansen: The COVID-19 Vaccine Frontier
COVID-19: Dr. Susan Moore And Racism In Healthcare
How Can Restaurants Survive?