The Sunday Independent

I survived effects of Covid-19

EDWIN NAIDU edwin.naidu@live.co.za *Naidu is a communications professional with a love for writing on justice and higher education.

I COUNT myself extremely fortunate to have survived the effects of Covid19, the ghastly global pandemic which has, since last year, claimed more than 57 000 lives in South Africa and almost 4 million worldwide.

I was dismayed when my positive test result came through via SMS from the laboratory, which charged 50% more than the R850 going rate for a test, which my medical aid refused to pay, meaning that this breathless patient had no choice but to fork out the money.

Covid-19 is debilitating for sufferers and families of those sadly departed. But it is a money-spinner for the medical industry. Sadly, those who profit from the pandemic are not the poor. When my positive test result came through on May 17, I was fine, and even managed to spend four days working.

But come the fifth day, raging fevers began to burn as quickly as the painkillers wore off over the next 72 hours. Brrrr! It was cold. Clattering of teeth as I warmed the bean bag. Darn! This microwave is slow. More painkillers. This continued for another two days.

When one awakes, the most excruciating body pains, as if one has been hit by that marauding, legalised thug, Chelsea’s menacing Rudiger. Ouch!

Slowly the fever – and constant checking of temperature – began to make way for the next horror, the SATS levels. Normal oxygen saturation is usually between 95% and 100% for healthy adults, but as an asthmatic my doctor in January was satisfied with my achieving 90%.

My wife and I were told by our loving, remote family doctor John Sebastian from Durban, that any level below this is dangerous and warrants urgent oxygen supplementation and/ or treatment for your condition.

He also started us on anticoagulants as soon as the fevers started including antibiotics.

There was tons of medication and vitamins to help boost the flagging immunity.

My SATS levels hovered between 88% and 90%. Dr Sebastian insisted I keep him posted every day of this level. Given that I practically spend my life managing oxygen issues, my default answer remained: I am fine, it hovers around 93. I did not want to go to the cold hospital outpatients facility, no thank you.

Nourished by prayer, food, daily check-ups from family, friends, colleagues, bosses, the second week rode out, but it was clear we were going to make it. Thank God! But optimism was tempered by realism on day 15 when visiting my genial pulmonologist.

He said I was the last person who should get Covid-19 because of asthma, but it can be fixed. My lungs had worsened by 20% since my last visit in January. Cortisone treatment for a month was what he recommended. And a CT scan of the chest at the end of the month. When I called the medical aid they said my funds had run out and they could not approve this R12000 procedure. I contacted radiology at the hospital and was quoted R4000 as a cash-paying patient.

How can such price discrepancies be permitted by medical aids? From the private sector to the government, greed is sickening.

We are humbled to have made it, but many have not because of the lack of oxygen devices, access to medicines or vitamins or hospital beds, or hospitals that care about people and not only money. Love, nourishing meals and a call also helps.

METRO

en-za

2021-06-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thesundayindependent.pressreader.com/article/281702617659274

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