D-Day: How COVID happened

Two years into the pandemic, with people all around contracting COVID and some less lucky ones not making it, contracting COVID seemed inevitable. Even after all the precautions we take, from wearing our masks to sanitising our hands, we never know when and where we might contract COVID. But the end result is that we get COVID, and we stay home for a week possibly... 

When COVID started, everyone, including me, witnessed the hardships those who contracted COVID had to go through, especially the part where patients couldn't move out of their rooms. The fear of having "nothing to do" made us extra vigilant about the precautions. But we never know where COVID strikes us from, and it sure does...

Towards the end of January, on a Thursday, I thought of getting myself a haircut. It's been two months since I cut my hair, and it's really affecting my game ( I was playing badminton during this time, and I still am). So I walked to the city centre and got myself a haircut. Came back walking, had a bath and got on with my duties. Life just went on...

But towards the night, I started getting mild coughs. I thought it was because of the long walk I had to the hair salon after a really long time. So I went to the usual medicines: Tablets, Cough Syrups, tying a cloth around my neck etc. Had some relief and then went straight to bed.  Come next day, I was too weak to get out of bed. I was still coughing, and the usual remedies didn't work.

Now there is some backstory you need to know. My father had similar coughs about a week ago, and so did my sister. They both went to the family doctor and got the medicines. They got themselves tested just to rule out the possibility of COVID; both of them tested negative. So when I got sick, it was logical to assume that it was just a typical case of fever. So my dad and I went to the family doctor, got the medicines, and went into full rest mode. 

By Saturday morning, I felt better- cough nearly gone, no body pain. So I got back to work, but everything started coming back by evening- but more severe this time. With the persistent coughs and increased body pain, I wondered, 'Is this it? Is this COVID?'. But it can't be... Two people in the house had similar symptoms, so how will I get it?

After spending the night in pain, I finally woke up to a sense of ease and relief on Sunday morning, the 30th of January. But the afternoon didn't turn out to be great, and by the evening, I was down with body pain and the coughs once again, except this time, my chest was burning with every cough. That burning sensation made it (almost) clear that this wasn't a common fever, and I decided to get myself tested at a nearby hospital.

The trip to the hospital was a story in itself. My father came to pick me up in his scooter, and he was all panicky. Before I got on the scooter, he took off at full speed, without me! I was too weak to run behind him or shout at him to stop. The thing is, he didn't even turn to look if I got on. So I went back to the house and phoned him. He went halfway to the hospital without realising that I wasn't in the back seat! The embarrassment if he had learned he didn't pick me up after reaching the hospital! 

But he came back, picked me up and sped to the hospital. The COVID testing unit was located outside the hospital building, and two people were waiting in line. After they had their tests, I had my test. I had to take a swab test from my nose, and I didn't know that they would insert the swab deep into the nose. Once that realisation dawned upon me, I couldn't yell, scream or get up (out of embarrassment). All I could do was sit there and clench the plastic chair with all my strength!! ( Thank God it didn't break!!)

I waited outside after the swab test, and the doctor screamed ALL POSITIVE!! I thought she meant the two people who went ahead of me. So my father and I went to her just to confirm. Then came the words, "even Neeraj is positive". The day I had been dreading for months had finally arrived! I was officially a COVID patient!! The reality began to slowly sink- a room all to myself, only a smartphone and a few books for entertainment and lots of sleep. Hmmm.. Sounds good enough!!

I went upstairs to the COVID ward, and they did a blood test, found that my vitals were all stable, and prescribed medicines and lots of rest... Got back home, and my mom started packing all my clothes to be shifted to the next room... I had to clean my plate and leave it at the entrance, which is something I have never done, bathed and went to sleep, thinking about the boring quarantine life... But it wasn't going to be as dull as I thought it would be....