A story of 48-year-old Covid-19 patient who recovered without telling anyone

Coronavirus has affected the world so much that despite the unlock, the economy of the world is still struggling. Many people lost their earning sources which have made their lives vulnerable and miserable. Although we have learnt one thing during this pandemic, the healthcare system in the country is very poor, especially in rural areas. In almost 80 per cent of the cases, coronavirus patients don’t need hospitals, but in 20 per cent cases they need it. We saw several reports of people dying because of lack of beds in the hospitals. Coronavirus has actually exposed the health infrastructure of the country as more than 47,000 people have lost their lives so far.

A 48-year-old housewife defeated COVID-19 with home remedies

In this article, we will look at how the Bihar government has failed the people of its region by looking at the situation in a small town. This is a story of Sangita Singh (changed name), a 48-year-old housewife who lives with her son at her Hajipur, Bihar residence. She told us her story on the condition of anonymity (because of the stigma attached to COVID-19) that she had coronavirus and she defeated it with home-remedies (Kadha) following the guidelines of Ministry of Ayush which suggested various remedies to strengthen her immunity.

“I and my 21-year-old son, both had coronavirus. At first, my son developed mild fever, cough, running nose and lost his taste. First, we thought it was normal viral but two days later I too developed the same symptoms. We were terrified so we got ourselves tested by a private lab at Rs 3,300 per person. Our reports came positive. We had mild symptoms and there were no serious physical challenges but we feared that if the neighbours will know they will disown us. So, we isolated ourselves and didn’t let anyone know about it,” she said.

#Covid19 बढ़ते संक्रमण के मद्देनजर आज दिनांक 31.07.2020 को जिला पदाधिकारी , वैशाली श्रीमती उदिता सिंह के निर्देशानुसार संबंधित पदाधिकारियों द्वारा चिन्हित कन्टेनमेंट ज़ोन का निरीक्षण किया गया I @IPRD_Bihar @BiharHealthDept @BiharFightCorona pic.twitter.com/0gnDDe5YCA

— District Magistrate, Vaishali (@dm_vaishali) July 31, 2020

The stigma of COVID-19 very prevalent in Hajipur, Bihar

Singh told us that when few people in her colony were found corona positive, they were completely discarded by society and treated like they are some kind of poison which will kill everyone in the colony. This is the reason she wanted to be anonymous in this story.

Sangita Singh used to take Giloy, Ashwagandha, Tulsi, with warm water along with homoeopathic medicine Aconit 30 and Influenzinum 30 (thoroughly used in town for Coronavirus) and the Kadha made up of– Black pepper, Cloves (Laung), Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Tulsi leaves and aloe vera. Since becoming ill, she has been drinking only warm water and left eating rice, banana, curd and other items which could cool stomach.

When we asked why she didn’t reach to government, she said “If we would have informed government, they would have isolated us in a filthy place with no facilities. We defeated COVID-19 staying at home without infecting anyone.”

How authorities have handles COVID-19 situation?

When we reached Hajipur which is currently in lockdown as per the state government’s order, we saw a very limited crowd and only essential-services shops were opened. However, in the second week of July when the Nitish government had imposed lockdown, shops in Hajipur were operating via the backchannel. Shopkeepers used to close the shutters, but they were nearby if any customer comes. There was a mutual understanding between the majority of non-essential shop owners and buyers when to come to buy things through a backchannel.

In the last week of July, when cases started rising in the city, the police administration in the city became vigilant and made sure that shop-owners and customers follow the lockdown guidelines strictly. Police personnel were seen at almost every corner of the shop. DM Udita Singh, Vaishali asked the police authority to create containment zones and the stop the travel in those areas. More than 100 containment zones have been created so far in Hajipur town and COVID-19 testing has also started to gain pace.

Have a news story, an interesting write-up or simply a suggestion? Write to us at info@oneworldnews.com