Our Brush With Corona

Chapter II

I have mentioned that I had received the news of my having tested positive for COVID, with a feeling of relief. The reasons chiefly lay in some events that had occurred a few days ago. Here I would like to bring two more personalities into the picture who live just about three blocks away from my house but in the same Housing Complex as mine; my father, Rohini, aged 80 years and my mother, Geeta, aged 75 years. By the grace of God, even at their advanced age, both have been keeping good health and spirits.

Both had gone to the US in the month of February 2020, to spend some time with my younger brother and his family consisting of his wife and a teenage son. My brother and his wife are both doctors by profession and live in St. Louis, a beautiful city in Missouri. My father had visited my brother in St. Louis twice earlier and this was his third visit. As for my mother, she was visiting him for the first time, in fact, this was the first time she was stepping outside the country. My father is an avid traveller blessed with the inquisitive qualities of an explorer, always wanting to see new places and meet new people. Staying at the same place for too long tires him out. On the other hand, my mother reminds me of a banyan tree, giving a cooling and refreshing shade to everyone, but all the while rooted to one place.

My parents had their return flights booked for the 23rd of April after a stay of about two months in US. They finally returned to their home in Delhi after eight months, on the 25th of October 2020!

COVID had spread its tentacles throughout the US, a few days after my parents reached there and almost their entire stay there, as with most of mankind, had been one big stretch of confinement. They had seen the pandemic in its infancy when they had landed in the US and at its most virulent stage when they left the country. The situation there was much worse there than in India, especially where old people were concerned.

On their return here, after staying indoors for months in the US, my parents were, if I may put it into plain words, lulled into a certain false sense of security. After all they were back into the comfort zone of their home after such a long time, away from the vigilant eyes of doctors. We four siblings used to constantly prod and push them into following the COVID protocols like wearing mask and following social distancing, but a new place always carried for them, the threat of lowering of guard.

Almost a month after reaching home, on the 24th of November, in the morning hours, my mother had mild cough and temperature and she had this feeling of tiredness. By evening she felt worse. We quickly decided that it would be better if we would get her tested for COVID. Next day on the 25th of November, my father took her to the Government dispensary, just a stone's throw away and got the RT-PCR test done for my mother and himself. The test results would be available after two days.

We did not waste any time. My younger brother has a friend here in Delhi who used to work with him at the same hospital in Delhi, before my brother shifted to US. We talked to him over phone, describing the symptoms of my mother and he felt that there was a good likelihood of it being COVID. Taking no chances, he prescribed some medicines for both my mother and my father which consisted of some vitamins, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. He also advised that the Oxygen level of both was required to be checked by the Oximeter at regular intervals. Things were largely under control till then and we all started hoping against hope that it was nothing, but a seasonal niggle and that the report would be negative.

But all our doubts were dispelled by a call we received at around noon from the Laboratory examining the swabs, on the 27th of November. The call confirmed that both of my parents had tested COVID positive and that a Doctor from the COVID Centre would call soon and advise about the future course of action to be followed.

The call came as a bolt from the blue for me. My parents, especially my father, though surprised by the result took it with calmness bordering on indifference. I have seen him more rattled when he had collected a blood test report showing his cholesterol to be even a wee bit higher than his expectation! This was simply unbelievable. The most talked about and feared malady of the times was being treated so contemptuously. As for me, I can recall my whole mind becoming numb. One call was all it took to confirm my worst fears to be true.

Meanwhile I called Dr Virender, my brother's doctor friend and apprised him about the positive report. He took the news calmly as he had been suspecting this result all along. There was no need for any alarm, he assured. My parents were already taking the necessary medicines. Only one additional antibiotic was prescribed to my mother for her cough in addition to the Azithromycin she was already taking for her sore throat. However, there was more emphasis on the checking of the Oxygen levels after every 4-5 hours especially that of my mother, as she was the one with visible symptoms of COVID. Dr Virender warned us that in no case my mother's Oxygen level was to drop below 90 and if this were to happen, she would have to be admitted to the hospital at once. Frequent gargling with warm water and steam inhalation was also strongly recommended as a back up to the medicines.

The Govt Doctor called on my father's mobile soon thereafter and inquired about my parent's health. My father apprised him about the line of action as advised by Dr Virender. The Doctor was satisfied with the treatment suggested. He said that they could stay in home isolation instead of being admitted to a COVID hospital or Care Centre. But a team of doctors would pay a visit within a day or two and take a final call on whether to let them continue with home quarantine for the mandatory seventeen days or to shift them to a COVID care facility considering their advanced age.

But if the condition of either deteriorated, particularly if the oxygen level fell, a call just had to be made to the COVID helpline and the relevant authorities would take care of the rest.

No sooner had the positive report of COVID been received, both my parents became adamant about only one thing, no child of theirs would be allowed to come close to their house and this included my younger sister and me and the members of our families. They would never take the slightest risk which would lead to us being infected with this disease. Besides said my father, it was a matter of seventeen days isolation out of which only seven or eight would be tough. It would pass in a jiffy.

'Your mother has taken good care of me day and night and my sturdy health at the age of eighty is the proof of it. Now it is payback time for me. Do not worry, the doctors have indicated that we are having less viral load so we will be ok. Anyway, you people are bound to phone every now and then and let us not let us live in peace. I will warn you at the first sign of danger,' said my father in a tone bearing the stamp of finality which we were all familiar with and which brooked no further arguments.

..........to be continued........