Commentaries | Aug 29,2020
The busy streets and cafes, the embrace of loved ones and the warm feel of the sun on the skin are often taken for granted. But not in Ethiopia’s past calendar year, and especially not by those who were diagnosed with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and later lived to tell the tale of their unique experience.
Out of the over 62,000 cases of COVID-19 that were reported, almost a thousand have died. Many more - 24,024 by last Friday – have recovered. The experience, among those Fortune interviewed, has left them with varied feelings.
Many were thankful for books and movies to keep them company during their days of quarantine. They were even more impressed with the cordial and understanding treatment they received from friends and neighbours and in some cases disappointed by the unwarranted overreactions they received.
“The waitress from the place where I have coffee screamed and ran away when I told her that I had contracted the virus,” said a journalist that recovered from COVID-19. “People around me thought I was a thief.”
Their own reactions to being diagnosed with the illness were also varied. With the exception of some medical practitioners, many had no idea where they caught it. But the possibility that they would be COVID-19 positive was not a distant thought, especially as cases grew.
While the possibility of death seemed remote for many, the severity of the symptoms affected their view of the illness. The harder it was to recover, the more likely that the patients believed they had underestimated how bad COVID-19 was going to be.
“I was in a coma for four days,” said one former patient who said that he did not actually believe in the virus' existence.
In the end, their outlook on life after COVID-19 was eclectic. Some were thankful, profoundly affected by the experience. Others felt merely relieved. Still others found the experience as just one more inconvenience in a life with many unexpected ups and downs.
You can read the full story here
PUBLISHED ON
Sep 11,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1063]
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