Everyone must be frustrated so far with 2020! Why? That sounds like a corny question, but in fact, there have been so many problems and issues since the beginning of the new year. From a global pandemic to wildfires in different parts of the world, from BLM and human rights issues to a massive explosion in Beirut. People all around the world have been dealing with all these challenges throughout this year, but the crown jewel of these problems is the emergence of Covid-19.
It was around February that we heard the news about the spread of a virus in China, killing hundreds of people in a short period. At first, not many people would take it seriously; but in a blink of an eye, we saw the very first victims here in Canada, resulting in the shutdown of schools and entering a lockdown. In addition to this intense and sensitive situation, students had to prepare themselves for finals. They had a hard time staying motivated and focused for the rest of the semester. Many of my friends and classmates were complaining about this situation, and they were finding it difficult not to live their lives as they used to under these new circumstances. Eventually, we had no other choice rather than restricting our contacts with friends and our loved ones in the hope of better days to come. Meanwhile, front-line workers were dedicating their lives and time to ensure that we are safe and healthy and that we will have access to necessities.
Over time, we saw slight improvements in terms of controlling the spread of Covid-19, which enabled the government to ease up the lockdown and gradually and cautiously try to bring back the normal flow of life. By the end of May, everyone was happy to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, even though they had to follow the guidelines and protocols to make sure that everyone will stay safe and healthy. I was one of those fortunate people to survive the first wave of this pandemic and have the opportunity to see my friends and have fun with them once again. At this point of time, it looks like that Covid-19 has been contained and the outbreak has come to an end; therefore, most of the people were observing a sense of returning to post-corona time, doing what they were doing before the rise of the virus and without considering the possible outcomes. In the beginning, I was one of the critics of this group of people, condemning their attitude towards this sensitive time, and consecutively admonishing them not to act selfishly regarding this subject. Unfortunately, I did not know that very soon; I’ll be holding the same thought as the ones I was criticizing a few weeks ago. Due to peer pressure and seeing the not -concerned individuals having fun regardless of probable consequences and the fact that they were not harmed by this deadly virus, I changed my viewpoint toward this issue and let myself free for a second, instead of insisting on my previous beliefs. As a result, I began to pursue my ideal summer that included going to the gym, hanging out with my friends, and visiting several restaurants during the last four weeks of summer, until the day I bought my ticket to go and see playland in Vancouver.
Oblivious of my surroundings, I was making the most out of my time in PNE, although I was aware that there was a higher chance to contract the virus in that kind of layout. I had to add that we were required to wear a mask and sanitize our hands before and after going on each ride, but unfortunately, that was not enough.
After a few days of my visit to playland, I went to work, and everything seemed normal at first. I was joking around with my coworkers and finishing my tasks at the same time as always. On my way back from the first break, I started to feel extremely tired, as if I was fighting in a boxing ring during that 30 minutes, and it was such a strange feeling that I had never experienced before. Shortly after this incident, I tried to connect the dots and find an answer to the problem, but I was not successful. Whatever it was, I survived that night, feeling inexplicably drained. By the time I arrived home, I did not have enough energy left in my tank to take a shower, and thus I went straight to bed, hoping that a good night’s sleep will solve my problem, but I was wrong. The next morning, I woke up having a burning fever, so intense that it felt like my eyeballs were on fire. Besides that, I could not follow my daily routine, and I was left on my bed like a piece of meat! By 7 pm, I had already taken some pills to alleviate my fever, thinking that it would put an end to my terrible condition. The next day, I was not having a fever anymore, which made me believe that I had a bad day, and I am over it now. It was about the time to get up and return to my everyday life, but surprisingly! I could not walk a straight line and be feeling lightheaded. Due to my dizziness, I went back to bed, and it did not take that long for another symptom to appear. My body started to ache all over, leaving me paralyzed on the bed for the entire day. Accordingly, I decided to take the test the following day after experiencing such a bizarre and painful illness. During the 48-hour window that I had to wait for my result to come out, I developed other symptoms such as loss of taste and smell, fatigue, which expectedly were the indications that I had the coronavirus. A few days later, I received a call from Vancouver coastal health, and they confirmed that my test for Covid-19 was positive. Aside from the health problems that I dealt with, I caused inconvenience and discomfort for my friends and roommates that were in contact with me, requiring them to quarantine for ten days.
It has been three days that I have officially beaten the virus, but if I want to expand the story beyond my concerns, we must take this virus seriously and act responsively to keep our loved one safe and healthy. There are yet so many gray areas concerning Covid-19, and it needs our attention to help first responders and front-line workers in the battle with this global pandemic.
