Be positive to turn negative: Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital nurse who beat Covid

AHMEDABAD: Mittal Pandya doesn’t mince words when she narrates her Covid-19 experience. “When I tested positive on April 24, I went completely blank for some time,” said Pandya, a staff nurse at Civil Hospital. “I worried about myself and my family whom I might have inadvertently infected.”
Pandya is among the several Civil Hospital staff members who have resumed duty at the 1,200-bed Covid-19 facility after getting treated for Covid-19 themselves. “I was deployed in the D9 isolation ward which was converted into a Covid-19 ward in March and even attended to the first patients of the city,” Pandya said. “But when you get infected, the thorough knowledge of the condition doesn’t help much.” Pandya now trains other nurses to use PPE and be mindful of safety measures. She also spreads the message of remaining mentally positive among Covid-19 patients.
She had worked at one of the wards at the Covid-19 hospital in mid-April. “On April 22, I was advised a test when I told my seniors that I was running fever and had severe diarrhoea,” she said. “Diarrhoea was a new symptom then. I was not much worried as I had no respiratory issues. But the report did come positive and I was admitted to the ICU due to severe dehydration.”
But once faced with the challenge, she resolved to remain positive. “I told myself — what if I am Covid-19 positive? I took it upon myself not to think too much about it and concentrate on my diet and mental well-being,” she said. “The strategy paid off. I tested negative in just four days.”
In the 14-day isolation that followed, she spent time with her family. “My husband works in Pune but due to the lockdown, he was in the city,” she said. “He took care of my child and mother-in-law in my absence. I kept inspiring other nurses and junior staff members that Covid-19 can be won and should not be feared.” She went on to say: “Whenever I interact with patients, I request them not to lose hope or unnecessarily fear the condition. It surely is dangerous but if we can remain positive, it will help us turn Covid-19 negative quickly.”