Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Sunday News Reporter
LIFE under lockdown is very challenging as people are trying to adapt to new ways of doing things. However, the Covid-19 national recovery rate in Zimbabwe continues to improve as the country continues to see some positive results of the level four national lockdown.
The country has been on level four lockdown since early January which was further extended by another two weeks after 15 February, as part of means of addressing the surge in Covid-19 cases. Sunday News reporter, Judith Phiri (JP) caught up with a final year university student at Solusi University, Buhlebenkosi Sibanda (BS) of Magwegwe in Bulawayo who with two of her siblings are Covid-19 survivors, to give an account of their experience after having been diagnosed with the virus.
JP: When did you contract the coronavirus and what were some of the symptoms?
BS: My two siblings and I experienced flu-like sickness on Monday, 28 December 2020. As others were complaining of painful joints, my temperature was very high and I started feeling weak in my joints. At first, we thought it was the heat because the previous day, Sunday had been very hot. We were just saying maybe we are dehydrated and started to drink a lot of water. Then on Wednesday my younger sister and I could not get out of bed because we were feeling so tired. Our brother was able to wake up but was having a sore throat.
JP: What was the next step that you took after realising you had these symptoms?
BS: So, we started taking painkillers to try and regain strength. But they only gave us temporary relief because our temperature kept on rising. Our mother who is in South Africa sent money to our aunt who stays in town and on Friday the same week we decided to go to Mater Dei laboratory where we all tested positive for Covid-19.
JP: How did you take the news that you were Covid-19 positive?
BS: We were not really shocked because we were in it together and it was not going to be a challenge because we stay just the three of us. Our parents are in South Africa and when we told them they understood and advised us to isolate and take care of ourselves. We also informed our few friends that had come to our home for Christmas to also get tested and isolate.
JP: What medication or treatment did you take?
BS: We are in a lot of WhatsApp groups so we were reading a lot of things people were sharing and circulating about Covid-19. I’m in one particular group called the Covid-19 Support Group. People were sharing their recovery stories and tips on what to take once you have the virus. We were also taking Vitamin C and zinc tablets. Our parents told us to take a lot of lot of ginger, lemon and garlic concoction.
Though our brother was hesitant to steam and would do it once a day before going to bed, my sister and I tried to steam bath three times a day. We never took any other fancy medication and we also tried zumbani after hearing that it was assisting people to recover.
JP: How did you spend your isolation days?
BS: As we were confined in the yard just the three of us, we made sure that our gate was locked from the day we received the results. We did some workouts so that we strengthen our bodies and keep in shape. I wouldn’t say there were no negative thoughts among us that weren’t going to survive but our parents would call us daily and that’s what kept us going. We even had relatives, especially our aunt who would bring us groceries and leave them by the gate and just check up on us.
We took each day as it came and we were grateful to be alive each day. We came up with activities that kept us going because we decided to isolate for 21 days so that we fully recover before going out to places where there are people such as the shops. I also took time to work on my school work online. I used this time to do more research and catch up on subjects I have been struggling with and got more tutorials through free online courses and YouTube videos. Of course, this was quite expensive because data is very costly, especially for us students but my siblings would also assist me with airtime as they would not use the one sent to them that much.
JP: How did people treat you afterwards when you disclosed that you once had coronavirus?
BS: As you know in suburbs such as ours people talk, so the stigmatisation we faced was very painful. You would see people standing very far away from us at the shops. It wasn’t the same anymore, we felt like outcasts because most people easily got the information that the three of us as siblings had Covid-19. Other kids would even tease us and say how are the other coronavirus siblings when they saw me outside the yard. But as time went on, we got used to the badmouthing of people. Even when our relatives come to see us those that saw them coming out of our yard said they were leaving and carrying the virus to their own homes. It’s silly how people think sometimes but we are forever thankful to God for conquering the virus as others are dying from it.
JP: Any word of advice to people out there who are living in fear of the pandemic?
BS: People should try and avoid crowds as much as possible. I would advise people that when you get the virus it’s not a death sentence.
As long as you can take care of yourself, avoid thinking too much about it and have a strong support system you can manage to recover and live your life again. Social distancing is important everywhere you go and its rarely observed in areas such as the one we live in.
By following all the other health measures seriously people will be able to avoid contracting coronavirus.
Online Reporter