AFTER testing positive for Covid-19 in its early days in Zimbabwe and subsequently being cleared of the virus, a Bulawayo woman, referred to as Case #16 (Bulawayo) by the Ministry of Health and Child Care says her predicament has left her with problems as she reintegrates into the society.<\/p>\n
Case #16 tested positive together with four of her family members who were also cleared although she took longer to recover.<\/p>\n
Sunday News visited the woman who was going about her daily chores at her home and she narrated how she has pulled through.
\nStigma and continued self-isolation<\/p>\n
\u201cI am happy that I recovered although much later than the rest of the family but the treatment from outside has not been good because of social media stories that were initially published about me. I am a person who sells vegetables and other things so now people who see me seem to question if I was really cleared and I am Covid-19 free. Even if I touch anything in shops, people who know me tend to be scared to equally touch the same thing so I am still isolating myself even after being healed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Case #16 added: \u201cI am removing myself from people outside because I can see that they are still uncomfortable with me but I have always been a person who is up and about selling things as this supplements my income a lot. I used to sell my vegetables from door to door and sometimes I sell at a local supermarket but now it has all changed, no one wants to buy as they all know me and this has been worsened by social media reports that I was deliberately spreading the virus after I tested positive. They do not trust me anymore as they feel maybe I still have the virus and may want to spread it to them. I feel that I am owed an apology for all the misinformation that was carried in the Press and social media about me because it painted a bad picture on my character as people assumed, I was spreading this virus willingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Returning to work and counseling
\nAsked on how she has managed to to go back to work she said fellow workers have been accommodating.<\/p>\n
\u201cReturning to work was greater than I thought. I was cleared on 24 June 2020 and returned to work on the 28th. They asked me if I was able to come back to work and I agreed as I did not want to be sitting at home yet I had recovered. I have no problems at work. I was embraced well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI received counseling when I returned to work which helped me a lot because I am a people\u2019s person and there was general feeling that maybe people would joke about the virus with me and it would affect me but I was prepared for that and the people have not said anything hurtful to me and they seem to also have been educated in my absence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Case #16 said her being down with Covid-19 has enabled her to use those lessons to assist others who are affected and educate them on the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople actually want to know how I have been coping and how I overcame the virus and how I am coping outside work and home environment. Workmates are learning a lot from me as they come and ask about how I was feeling when I was infected, how I fought the disease and all the concoctions that I would inhale and ingest during that period. I am sharing my story at work to support other people who have had relatives who tested positive so that they remain optimistic. I also encourage cleanliness, sanitizing and social distancing as those are the things that can keep people safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life at an isolation centre
\nCase #16 was admitted to an isolation centre at one point after her family had been cleared and she was still positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not a good experience, it was painful, it was cold, we had no hot water which was essential in our healing. I had to ask to be returned home to self-isolate as conditions were not very conducive for me. I was brought back home after spending some time at the centre and they inspected my home to see if I could isolate from there as I waited for total healing. My home was given an all clear and I finished off that isolation period in the comfort of my home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She added; \u201cIsolation centres do need help from what I witnessed, Covid-19 patients need to be warm, so hot water is vital, hot meals too.<\/p>\n
Individuals and corporates need to assist in capacitating these centres because we are the same people that will be admitted there so we must try and make it conducive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER testing positive for Covid-19 in its early days in Zimbabwe and subsequently being cleared of the virus, a Bulawayo woman, referred to as Case #16 (Bulawayo) by the Ministry of Health and Child Care says her predicament has left her with problems as she reintegrates into the society. Case #16 tested positive together with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":25315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1361,7],"tags":[188,1388],"class_list":["post-26843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-coronavirus-in-zimbabwe","category-files","tag-bulawayo","tag-covid-19"],"yoast_head":"\n