‘I used to call myself Covid police until I let my guard down’ – Patient shares experience

Several citizens began flouting the Covid-19 safety protocols when the country saw a decline in its cases in the last quarter of 2020.

However, after the yuletide season, Ghana’s Covid-19 active cases has seen a sharp increase as an average of 200 persons test positive daily.

Linda [not her real name] is one of the individuals who recently contracted the disease and is receiving treatment at the Ga East Hospital.

According to her, before she tested positive, she was very mindful of the safety protocols and ensured that her family adhered it too.

But on one fateful day, ‘the Covid-19 protocols law- enforcer’ let her guard down at a family gathering and unfortunately contracted the disease.

“I used to call myself the Covid-19 police until the police itself caught me. I let my guard down for one day at a family gathering,” she told JoyNews Matilda Gavi.

For Linda who has been at the hospital for nearly a week, the Covid-19 treatment journey has not been an easy one for her.

Although she is no longer in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU); she is recovering from Covid-19 under very strict supervision.

“Be careful always, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, be careful, else you can contract the disease,” she advised.

Another recovering patient, Grandma Efe [not her real name] also told JoyNews that although she refrained from visiting public places and chose to stay home, she still got infected.

Giving an account of how she got the disease, she said, “my grandchildren went for a party and after the party they swarm. And they came to visit me two days later, one of them were having some symptoms. So we rushed her to the pharmacy to check if it was malaria. But we were informed it was not malaria and we were given some drugs.

“I think after four days, I also started showing some symptoms but I didn’t take it serious, I just went to do my concoction and the coughing stopped. But three days later, I kept vomiting un-end. Surprisingly, I was not coughing but looking at the severity of it, my son suspected it to be Covid-19 and brought me here [Ga East Hospital].”

Other patients who are now out of danger and recovering from the virus also cautioned the public to strictly adhere to the protocols.

“The sickness makes you very weak and it is not comfortable at all. People should observe the protocols, the disease is here and it is real.” One said.

Another added, “Surprisingly, I have been very careful as to manage my affairs on this Covid-19 issues but sometimes you will find yourself in a lot of activities you cannot run away from and so before you say jack! Then you have it.”

Meanwhile, doctors treating Covid-19 patients at the health facility have expressed worry about the severity of recent cases on their hands.

Out of the 62 Covid-19 patients receiving treatment, four are in critical conditions and are battling for a second chance to live.

Medical Superintendent of the Ga East Hospital, Dr. Oduro-Mensah noted more people tend to be overpowered by the disease now than in 2020.

“The severity of the disease has increase compared to what we saw last year [2020]. And this can’t be left to chance so if a new variant is in we must pay critical attention to it.”