<p>The last thing that Geetha (32), a Covid-19 counsellor working in the city, wanted was to become infected with the disease. But in the course of doing her job, that is exactly what happened. </p>.<p>Geetha (name changed) said she contracted the disease when was assigned to oversee swab collection and testing at her workplace, an urban family welfare centre in Wilson Garden. </p>.<p>She was among 26 Covid-19 survivors specially invited to attend the Independence Day celebrations at the Manekshaw Parade Ground on Saturday.</p>.<p>“Initially, I had no idea that I had been infected, but my four-year-old daughter developed high fever on July 17 and our worst fears were confirmed when a Rapid Antigen Test found that she was Covid-19 positive,” Geetha told DH.</p>.<p>Two days later, Geetha also developed fever. “When she also tested positive, we realised she was the source of the infection,” said Geetha’s husband, Dr Rajesh (36), a general practitioner. </p>.<p>Within days, Geetha lost her sense of smell and taste. Now, nearly a month later, she still feels her sense of smell and taste are sub-par.</p>.<p>Although health officers from the BBMP wanted to admit the mother and child to hospital, Dr Rajesh convinced them that the family could strictly follow home isolation rules as they had the necessary infrastructure ay home and, being a doctor himself, he could monitor their health, too.</p>.<p>This, however, prompted the infection to spread to other members of the household. “Even though we all wore masks and took necessary precautions, on July 24, a Covid-19 test found that my father had the disease. Then, my mother-in-law developed fever. This shows that the virus is severely contagious,” Dr Rajesh said.</p>.<p>Soon, his four-year-old daughter's fever peaked at 103F, even as her oxygen saturation dropped down from 100% to 94%. “People say that this disease does not really impact children, but we saw that it did,” Dr Rajesh said.</p>.<p>His 60-year-old mother-in-law, who is a diabetic, was another concern. However, her fever is said to have vanished in 24 hours. </p>.<p>Dr Rajesh said that he himself never caught the virus. “I got myself tested thrice to determine why I was asymptomatic and all three times, the results came back negative." </p>.<p><strong>Lessons learnt from the pandemic </strong></p>.<p>While the family is now free of Covid-19, there are several lessons they have learnt from the experience. Home isolation of symptomatic people is possible provided there is someone adept at medically monitoring those affected.</p>.<p>“In the case of my mother-in-law, despite hearing horror stories about those aged above 60 dying, I realised that people who are physically active have a higher chance of beating the virus,” he said.</p>.<p>“My mother-in-law is extremely active from morning to night, taking care of all the chores around the house. Her lung capacity is good. This was clearly a factor,” he added.</p>
<p>The last thing that Geetha (32), a Covid-19 counsellor working in the city, wanted was to become infected with the disease. But in the course of doing her job, that is exactly what happened. </p>.<p>Geetha (name changed) said she contracted the disease when was assigned to oversee swab collection and testing at her workplace, an urban family welfare centre in Wilson Garden. </p>.<p>She was among 26 Covid-19 survivors specially invited to attend the Independence Day celebrations at the Manekshaw Parade Ground on Saturday.</p>.<p>“Initially, I had no idea that I had been infected, but my four-year-old daughter developed high fever on July 17 and our worst fears were confirmed when a Rapid Antigen Test found that she was Covid-19 positive,” Geetha told DH.</p>.<p>Two days later, Geetha also developed fever. “When she also tested positive, we realised she was the source of the infection,” said Geetha’s husband, Dr Rajesh (36), a general practitioner. </p>.<p>Within days, Geetha lost her sense of smell and taste. Now, nearly a month later, she still feels her sense of smell and taste are sub-par.</p>.<p>Although health officers from the BBMP wanted to admit the mother and child to hospital, Dr Rajesh convinced them that the family could strictly follow home isolation rules as they had the necessary infrastructure ay home and, being a doctor himself, he could monitor their health, too.</p>.<p>This, however, prompted the infection to spread to other members of the household. “Even though we all wore masks and took necessary precautions, on July 24, a Covid-19 test found that my father had the disease. Then, my mother-in-law developed fever. This shows that the virus is severely contagious,” Dr Rajesh said.</p>.<p>Soon, his four-year-old daughter's fever peaked at 103F, even as her oxygen saturation dropped down from 100% to 94%. “People say that this disease does not really impact children, but we saw that it did,” Dr Rajesh said.</p>.<p>His 60-year-old mother-in-law, who is a diabetic, was another concern. However, her fever is said to have vanished in 24 hours. </p>.<p>Dr Rajesh said that he himself never caught the virus. “I got myself tested thrice to determine why I was asymptomatic and all three times, the results came back negative." </p>.<p><strong>Lessons learnt from the pandemic </strong></p>.<p>While the family is now free of Covid-19, there are several lessons they have learnt from the experience. Home isolation of symptomatic people is possible provided there is someone adept at medically monitoring those affected.</p>.<p>“In the case of my mother-in-law, despite hearing horror stories about those aged above 60 dying, I realised that people who are physically active have a higher chance of beating the virus,” he said.</p>.<p>“My mother-in-law is extremely active from morning to night, taking care of all the chores around the house. Her lung capacity is good. This was clearly a factor,” he added.</p>
