STRANGELY, many people feel embarrassed about getting the novel coronavirus and do their best to hide it from close associates. In this COVID CAPER, a retiree reveals how his friend was embarrassed even to take the test, fearing it could put a stain on him, and how close he (retiree) came to being infected. Read on:

I am a retiree who is quite active. Routinely when I venture on the road to conduct business I would pick up my friend, who is also retired, as company to break the boredom. On Monday, February 1, 2021 I picked him up and recalled him making a casual remark that he was not feeling too well. Unfortunately, we were not in masks that day and spent approximately four hours together.

As we always keep in contact, he advised me that he went to his doctor on Wednesday and was prescribed antibiotics (no discussion on COVID-19 came up). On Thursday I felt as if I was getting the flu and took two Panadol tablets and felt better.

On the Saturday after, while talking to my daughter on the phone she said I sounded hoarse and I should do a COVID test. I did and the result was positive. I immediately called my friend and suggested that he take the test which he refused to do as he did not think he had COVID.

I immediately went into quarantine and on Monday I renewed my call to my friend to get tested. Again he refused, however, by Wednesday he became so ill along with his wife that a doctor had to make a home visit. The couple tested positive for the virus and became very ill afterwards. During this period I worried for his life.

I completed my isolation with minimal, if any, associated reactions, did another test and was negative. My friend who got very sick has recovered; however, his wife is still ailing but much improved. Incidentally, my wife, who spent two nights with me prior to isolation, tested negative on both occasions.

Many of us who are away from people think we cannot get COVID and are sometimes embarrassed to do a test when we are not feeling well. Many ‘uptowners’ like me and my friend are reluctant to test fearing that if we are positive it will be a stain on us.

I encourage anyone who feels ill to test immediately, it could save your life.

Share your COVID-19 experience and help someone to cope with the disease or take it seriously and try to avoid it. Send to allend@jamaicaobserver or riffraph54@gmail.com

FEEDBACK

I may have killed my 85-y-o grandmother

Patricia: You killed her indeed.

Letruth: I overheard it being said that the popular night clubs owned by the rich and influential are still operating even after curfew on weekends. Could this be true? If so, why are there exceptions? These clubs and restaurants don’t move, surely the police knows where they are, especially the non-performing ones who carry home a year’s salary in a month.

Holy Perv: No more parties or dancehall events until at least half of Jamaica is vaccinated. This includes all schoolchildren. Too many granny killer deh bout and don’t even know seh dem a granny killer. Mek all di dancehall DJs dem starve. A di dancehall DJs a tell people fi nuffi tek di vaccine. Di DJs dem fi feel it inna dem pocket. I don’t know how dem gwine perform a foreign without being vaccinated. Dem haffi be vaccinated fi visit every country without quarantine soon, and haffi be vaccinated fi perform in stadiums, parks and clubs in a lot of states. Only in the state of Florida will entertainers probably get away with it.

XAMYCA: COVID-19 is a very sneaky and devious virus. It affects everybody differently and extremely. Some will show absolutely no symptoms and others get fatally sick. What is most difficult is to ask people to keep their guards up for months. It’s almost humanly impossible to do, and all the virus needs is that one little chance to slip through. And if the damage wasn’t bad enough, it has left the “survivors” with this feeling of guilt, wondering if they played a part in the demise of their loved ones. Such a cruel and invisible enemy.

TENC: The lowest story of them all to blame the young for what comes naturally… The only thing he is guilty of is wanting to live a life. You cannot see COVID, hear it, feel it, smell it or taste it. It’s in the air we breathe, on surfaces, door handles and impossible not to be infected. None of our senses can detect COVID, impossible to isolate ourselves from other human being, therefore at some point she would’ve become infected.

Stingjam: I spent 11 months overseas, came back for a month then left again. NOT ONCE during my one-month trip to Jamaica did I come within six feet of any person who I know to be particularly vulnerable or high risk… But at an ILLEGAL party as this person went to, none of the safety measures are typically present. It is not just a high risk of exposure, but the intensity of the exposure (meaning the amount of viral particles in the environment) would also be high… He could have contracted the virus and passed it on to his grandmother. Even his own GF [girlfriend] might have given him. He is the justifiable cause of his own guilt. He’s at fault.

India turning into a massive graveyard

Demusone: The country declared they had crushed the virus a couple months ago! Sad, very sad!

BaldHeadRasTa: India is not in this situation because they were selfless, smh, how silly. They are in this situation because they reopened too quickly and their prime minister started following the Trump book of pandemic management, massive rallies, no masks and massive holiday celebrations, no masks no social distancing. India like Jamaica also has a horrible public health care system. Please do some more research before you write articles. smh.

Coming Monday in COVID CAPERS: How do children see the coronavirus