You cannot live life in fear of Covid19 pandemic, but you must not gamble it away

 

                    Jan 2022 

I will often say “You cannot live life in fear” in the context of Covid-19 pandemic which has ravaged us for the past two years. Just before onset of Covid restrictions in March 2020, we had been to Amritsar to see and pray at Golden temple, pay our respect to those died during partition at Museum nearby, and wear the national pride at the Wagah border. We did not shout against our neighbour country, but certainly raised full throated our love for our country. In doing so, we did not wear any political cap. We identified ourselves as Indians. Later, a visit to Chandigarh was cut short due to rains. And we were back home and for long time to be at stretch.

Covid-19 pandemic took its toll. And like us, many remained home-bound, as we witnessed horrors of this viral disease. Many lost their jobs. Others were underpaid. Most devastated were poor and migrants. Many kind hearted people came forward to help and so did the Government.

We were amongst first ones to get fully vaccinated by 26^th April, 2021 as the vaccines were made available to the senior citizens. Slowly pandemic eased as cases fells from lakhs in May-June of 2021, the so called second wave. Restrictions were lifted on many commercial activities and life was getting back to normal. So, when opportunity came to realise my long-time dream of visiting one of old civilizations, that of Egypt, we jumped on and visited this beautiful country for about a week in October 2021 following all norms and rules of travels and stay for our safety. We did have our doubts about safety. Our friends cautioned us. But, anyone talking about fears of Covid-19 during this journey too, my stock answer will be “You cannot live life in fear”. I did not mean “being careless” or disregarding Covid appropriate behaviour. I did not mean to be also dare- devil. I always respected and followed the Covid appropriate behaviour.

I have come to accept the fact that Covid-19 will be around for long time and with mutations, it may lose steam on its own. The Omicron mutant of SARS CoV-2 virus which has emerged in November 2021 in South Africa has spread far and wide in short time of two months, but is less aggressive in its pathogenicity. Hopefully, this relatively better virus will not allow its cousin mutants, as it occupies more hosts and eventually turns into any other viral flu-like that we have known. In the meantime, we will be more capable of enriching our arsenal against it, both preventive and curative; as the evidence shows.

As the supposedly Omicron cases were far few and the Government restrictions almost negligible, we decided to go in for a road trip to Mumbai in last week of December 2021 (see my blog on this trip at https://govindgujar.blogspot.com ).

And here in Mumbai, I was caught up by the Covid-19 virus on the 5^th of January 2022, just two days before my birthday to test if I lived in fears on its infection. Was it an Omicron or Delta or some other variant? It was difficult to state, unless full gene sequencing is done to determine it. Would it not be a good idea to have multiple PCR test to know relative proportion of these variants or have specific RT PCR to know which one had infected? I do not know if we can design specific primers for that. But a brief discussion with my former colleague on CT value showed that this parameter was nominal, as the physician dealt primarily with symptoms and complications of infections while treating.

With a bit of unease in terms of food aversion, less of hunger, and feeling of fluctuating low level change in body temperature throughout day, finally after dinner I realised that I have a fever worth taking note of. It was close to 101 ^oF.  I gulped a paracetamol 650 mg tablet to ease. Soon, temperature dropped to 99 ^oF and then early morning at 97 ^oF; and all other parameters like oxygen (94-97%), pulse (initially 96-97 to 80 beats/min), no body pain, no dry cough, no mucus provided solace. But weakness stayed with me for two days. I was isolated soon in a room, and other family members left us (me and my wife) to avoid any contamination or spread.

A day later, and with two and half tablets of paracetamol 650 mg spread over initially 12 hr interval was good enough to bring down fever. I started feeling better.

So, on the third day, I celebrated my 69^th birthday by wearing new kurta, strip-kind that my beloved chose and remained in high spirit awaiting report of the samples taken yesterday. No report following day meant that there was bad news in future.

 

And this bad news came on the fourth day of start of symptoms or on the second day of test. I was Covid positive. BMC Covid Ward persons phoned me to give this news and noted down my travel and contact history. Both politely wished me well to get back to be fine.

On the fourth day (8^th January), I dialled a relative (my niece) in whose house we had lunch three days prior to the day of my infection (5^th January). Fortunately, no one there was infected until then. That ruled out that I picked it there. And I have not been a source of infection for them.  How and when did I get infection then? This was a question that bothered me.

Was it on 25^th Dec in Nathdwara (near Udaipur) where a crowd surged for darshan of Shrinathji (God Shri Krishna statue in his childhood from Mathura brought about 500 years ago), where facial masks and physical distancing were last in the mind of devotees to bother about? Omicron variant has an incubation period of 3-4 days. And therefore, this possibility of picking up infection there was ruled out. We had visited Viviana Mall for very short period and did not interact much there with salespersons on the 1^st Jan., 22. This could be source of my infection. And second possibility could be our residential complex, Sainath Towers where few residents are reported to be Covid-19 patients. The latter appeared to be most likely case.

One possibility of infection was using contaminated lift of the Society. Another could be getting infected during my early morning walk or evening walk, although I did not speak to anyone except car cleaner.

I was repeatedly warned by my daughter not to go out, but I underestimated the power of infectivity of this virus variant despite having worked on insect viruses. The virus sneaked in despite wearing masks probably through contaminated surfaces or even through inhalation, or lapse of washing hands or touching nose or mouth inadvertently. It is most likely that I got it here in this residential complex. Scolding that I got from my granddaughter for abstaining from washing hands with soap every time I entered house would never be forgotten. Fortunately, other family members were spared.  

I felt better with each passing day and was out of wood by the 7^th day of isolation. I had become quite familiar with temperature, dissolved blood oxygen, pulse rate, six-min walk test for oxygen and pulse rate, gargling with salt solution, inhalation, Zincovit and now erythromycin. The antibiotic course of 5-day controlled my dry cough that I had 3 days after fever.  I got tested again and then next day, we got a good news. Later, we left for our next journey that we had planned.

When we started our journey from Delhi in the last fortnight of December 2021, the Covid-19 infections were in hundreds, but within a fortnight, it picked up to be in hundred thousand in many metropolitan cities in the first fortnight of January 2022. Later decline started. Fortunately, hospitalization in this third wave is less as compared to the second wave. Hopefully, Covid-19 infection will decline over next few days. And then, it will be new normal. A cousin brother in my home state Maharashtra State described this new normal as people getting used to Covid-19 infection and least afraid of it. So are the dare devils who are organising political rallies and are participating in it in the current election season for seven states in Feb and March 2022 in the country. The Election Commission (EC) of India has rightly denied the political parties permission to conduct rallies for last 2-3 weeks. Last time, the EC was criticised for allowing rallies in the West Bengal Assembly elections last year, which later led to increase in Covid-19 infections in that state and elsewhere. The political parties have become smart conducting their campaign online. Hopefully the day will come when we will vote online without seeing the polling booth.

The new normal will mean that life must go on to the best of our abilities in the circumstances we live in. It is ultimately a question of livelihood. Yes, we cannot live life in fear. But, we must not gamble it away.

 

PS: Symptoms of Covid-19 infection, probably due to Omicron mutant: Except of fever on the first day of about 101 ^oF, temp was down below 98.3 ^oF, with oxygen between 94 and 97%, and pulse ranging from 80 to 70 beats/min; no mucus, no heavy respiration. A bit of weakness during first two days, less of hunger initially, no body pain, but I had dry throat followed by a bit cough which was controlled with antibiotic course over a week.