Namrata Sharma

Despite taking all the adequate precautions, many have somehow contracted the coronavirus. It is difficult to guess whether it could be from the workplace such as the hospital or from handling contaminated objects as daily essentials and cash.
“Being a health professional myself, I was neither surprised nor alarmed at my positive test result,” says Dr. Sabina Shah Pahari, who is a pediatrician.
Like many health workers, Dr. Pahari belongs to the high risk category of frontline workers.
However, now the time has come when not only the frontline workers but the entire population in the world could be at similar risk of being infected by the virus in a symptomatic or asymptomatic way.

Major contributor
A study conducted by the Brown University based in the USA, shows that a major contributor to coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes may be due to asymptomatic transmission. According to Chris Smith, researches in the UK are now indicating that coronavirus symptoms are a poor marker of COVID-19 infection, as many people might be asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic when spreading the illness.
Researchers in the UK found that more than 75 per cent of the people who tested positive did not show any symptoms on the day of testing. The percentage is even higher for certain symptoms that are commonly associated with COVID-19. Other studies have shown that COVID-19 patients are most infectious a few days before the onset of symptoms and a few days after.
“Asymptomatic carriers do not show any symptoms of coronavirus. One cannot say who is actually carrying the virus, so in a way all can be categorised as asymptomatic and need to take the necessary precautions,” says Dr. Sharad Onta, a public health expert. There is a situation of people being pre-symptomatic- a condition before one gets infected. Then after infections, some people start showing the symptoms like running nose, coughing, sore throat, headaches and fever. However, some people may be infected and carrying the virus but are asymptomatic, which is to say that they show no symptoms but can infect others and they themselves could get into worse health conditions if proper action is not taken. If, after a PCR test, someone is identified to be asymptomatic, it is very important to make sure that they do not infect others, says Dr. Onta. It is therefore important to maintain at least two weeks proper isolation and take care of the coronavirus infection if one is suspected of being infected.
“Being in isolation can be a worrying, frightening or a boring experience for many,” says Dr. Sabina Pahari, who has kept herself in self-isolation at the moment. She adds that looking after one’s physical, mental and emotional well-being is essential for recovery. People under isolation should continue to do their usual activities, be it using social media, reading, music, meditation, or yoga.
As a medical person, she advises that during the infected stage having a healthy balanced normal diet, with plenty of fluids, fresh food and fruits is a must. Taking additional intakes like honey, lemon, ginger, turmeric and gurjo (Giloy) in moderation may help. She further advises that exercise as per one’s tolerance in order to open up the lungs, sleeping on one’s belly (prone) and steam inhalation to relieve congestion all contribute to a good recovery.
Dr. Pahari says: “Beware not to try different un-prescribed, over-the-counter medications as these may be counterproductive.” There are many trials going on throughout the world and people may draw their own conclusions, hoard medications or face drug interactions and side effects. She stresses that it is always important to discuss problems and medications with one’s health professional.
The pandemic is here to stay, maybe at least for another year. The stringent lifestyle we adopted initially to keep a protective barrier around ourselves needs to continue with a lot of patience, perseverance, consideration and hope. There is no room for complacency and special consideration should be given to protect the elderly and people with chronic lung, heart, liver and kidney conditions and also patients with diabetes and cancer, says Dr. Pahari.
The general advice of wearing face masks, washing hands, maintaining social distancing and avoiding any unnecessary outings are the most important advice to minimise the spread and the coronavirus infection. During the festivals such as Dashain, Tihar and Chhath, people should act responsibly and confine their rituals and festivities within their own houses and family members.

Precaution
Dr. Onta cautions that there are two main steps that all of us must now take into consideration. Firstly, if one gets infected and is confirmed, it is important to save oneself, but it is also equally important to save others. Therefore, informing all that s/he has been infected is very important. Infections must not be seen as a taboo which can lead to ostracism by the community. It is now important to accept that this disease will spare no one. So, precaution and spread of the word is important. Secondly, he opines that constant monitoring of one’s health, especially of those who are infected is very vital. While doing this, it is important not to think that one will die if one gets infected. The most important factor is to think positive and hope one will heal soon with proper medication and care. To do this, it is important to take care of one’s mental and physical wellbeing.
Dr. Pahari has been brave enough to share her experience, but more importantly she is very positive about curing herself. All should now keep in mind that we all are potential targets of COVID-19. However, we should not let our guards down. We should say no to stigmatisation and have a positive approach to curing ourselves if we are infected, and do our best to prevent others from getting infected.

(Namrata Sharma is a senior journalist and women rights activist and can be reached at namrata1964@yahoo.com Twitter handle: NamrataSharmaP)