COVID hits you on the head: Mukul Gupta

After I got my first dose of vaccination on April 10, we started packing to leave for a wedding in my hometown, Ranchi. The next day, as a precautionary measure, I thought of getting tested.

I got a shock as my rapid antigen test (RAT) result came positive. Just one day before I had got the vaccine. We had to cancel our travel plans.

Initially, I had no symptoms, but on the fourth day, I got a slight fever, bodyache, headache, and cough and soon lost my capacity to taste and smell. I was fortunate to get my tests done and the doctor’s consultation on time. But I was worried about infecting my wife and son. So, I got them tested as well and was relieved when they tested negative.

I feel Covid hits you on the head. The moment you test positive, you start thinking negatively and become insecure. The same happened to me – I even started making a list of my bank accounts… I completed my course of medicines that included Ivermectin, Dolo, Doxy, Zincovit and Limcee. I applied Anu Taila nasal drops and took Coronil by Patanjali.

As this happened during the Navratras, I was on a fruit and juice diet and consumed a lot of water the whole day. After the Navratras, I went back to a regular diet. Earlier, I used to walk for four hours, since that wasn’t happening; I compensated it with an hour of yoga at home. As soon as I announced it in my society group, I got negative reactions from people. Someone asked me: We were in the lift with you, will I get the virus? It felt like travelling in a train without a ticket. But my family, colleagues, seniors, and many neighbours proved to be a huge emotional support.

Isolation drains you out totally. I was masked all the time, had to maintain social distancing, had to skip the entire Navratra puja. Initially, I consumed a lot of negative news on TV and mobile. It made me think of absurd things and I became fearful. I realised that I needed to come out of the negativity, and started listening to music and watching music videos instead of watching Covid news and the death count. I read books, negotiated a few long-pending business deals, spoke with people all around and inquired about their well-being, and tried to adopt a healthy and hygienic lifestyle.

On April 27, I completed my 17 days of isolation, which also happened to be my wife’s birthday. We ordered in a small cake and some snacks. I even prepared some meals in our air fryer. It’s been 10 days since my isolation got over but I have not dared to go out of my house. We are monitoring the entire family’s health on a daily basis. Over 50 flats in our society are affected. There is a fear of using the lift.

Since the third day of isolation, I had an access to a lot of information about tests, hospitals, beds, testing camps, medicine availability, and free food delivery, as I was added to the WhatsApp group of Covid patients. So, I started giving this information to people who needed it. This was very fulfilling, and I plan to continue with it. I feel people should get tested irrespective of whether they have symptoms or not, and should focus on positive and good things.

Mukul Gupta, 52, is a Sales Head with a news channel at Indirapuram (Ghaziabad) — As told to Nikita Sharma