Currently, the environment is highly hostile even for the people staying inside their houses. So Hatke Story has brought this ‘Tales of Corona Survivors’ series to spread positivity and awareness among the crowd. We will be featuring social workers, corona patients, doctors, and their families in this series. Only to tell you what is going on the ground. 

To add to this series, we got connected to Alice Sharma. She runs an NGO Vastra Aur Zindagiyan. Currently, Alice is serving as a corona warrior and working to better poor and homeless people. She distributes food, masks, clothes, and other necessary things that one needs to fight the pandemic with her team. While working, Alice also got infected by the virus. We contacted her to know her experience. Let’s hear it from her. 

Corona Survivor Alice Sharma – Her Story

I run an NGO, so we have to visit many places in a day. We used to go to the streets to provide food and other things to helpless people. If you are a part of an NGO, you can’t go to hygienic places all the time. You will have to visit slum areas, meet many people, and work with them or for them. It was impossible to manage hygiene all the time.

Alice Sharma at foundation

There was an event on 7 April. We went to the event to distribute food. I guess I got infected in this event only. Because I began to develop symptoms around 12th or 13th April, another team member also got infected. We worked last year too, but none of us got infected, but this year’s situation was way too tricky and critical. Everyone was getting infected.

At first, I experienced a mild fever and a slight headache. I thought it to be a chronic fever, so I went for antiviral medicines. Although I had doubts, I didn’t react to it instantly. Within two to three days, my sense of smell and taste was gone.

I realized it was COVID’s first stage. I was diagnosed positive. Then I started taking proper medication. When I got COVID, I wasn’t worried at all because I had seen my family members, friends, and other known people going through the same situation. So I was confident that I’d recover.

It wasn’t a big issue as my symptoms were mild. I experienced mild fever (101°C), headache, loss of smell and taste, and body ache. So it was nothing I could not handle. Besides, I didn’t let stress affect me. I took proper medication, ate good and healthy food, drank warm water, gargled with saltwater, and isolated myself. If your symptoms are mild, then don’t worry. You will recover.

At that time, people in Delhi were running around hospitals to arrange beds or oxygen cylinders either for themselves or their family members. It was like every third family in Delhi was affected. I think 60 percent of the population has contracted the virus. 

During the quarantine period, my friends and teammates were my best companions. They’d call me daily to check on my health, and we’d talk about the current situation. I even made some calls to arrange food and other items for donations. In a way, I was working virtually with them. 

Fourteen days later, I was tested negative. For me, it was nothing but a mild fever. I didn’t let it get into my head. Instead, I treated Covid as fever only. If you have contracted the virus and your symptoms are mild, take enough precautions but avoid taking stress at any cost. Trust me, and you will be fine. 

One thing that people avoid doing is talking about Coronavirus. It is the most significant misconception people have about this pandemic, including me. Because others tell patients not to think about it. However, I feel it’s not true because we are human beings, and we tend to think in both ways- positive and negative. So I’d say, talk about it, release your stress, share your fears, anxiety, insecurities with loved ones. They will comfort you.

Alice Sharma

More than 80% of covid cases are mild. So not everyone is dying. I feel there should be a place for fear. Otherwise, people will stop taking precautions. However, there shouldn’t be any place for hopelessness. If you catch covid despite following all measurements, then don’t worry, you will surely recover. Self-awareness is the best way to curb the current situation. Exposing ourselves too vulnerable circumstances is what we need to stop doing—man up against the virus. You will surely win.

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