A Nigerian man, Olubunmi Adefisayo, who survived COVID-19, has recounted his experience.
In a chat with Nigeria Health Watch, Olubunmi recounted how he tested positive for the virus, the symptoms he had, and his experience at the Yaba Isolation centre in Lagos. He said he finds it strange that some Nigerians do not believe that the virus is in the country.
Read his account below “I don’t remember the exact date but in the first week of April, I noticed I had lost my sense of smell and taste. I checked online to know if it was a possible COVID-19 symptom. It turned out that some survivors mentioned those as their initial symptoms too. Then I decided to call NCDC to get tested. Two days later, the Lagos State team came to my house to take my sample for testing. The waiting period was filled with a lot of tension. I just wanted to know the result so I could get it off my mind. It was a bit frustrating. Of course, I understood that the results were not immediate. Two days later, they called and said I tested positive. I gave them my address and within an hour, I was picked up and taken to the isolation centre. My symptoms were very mild. Many people think that when you catch the coronavirus, you will die or experience debilitating symptoms. It is very bizarre that people don’t believe there is a virus. I find it very strange. It is not a joke. People need to stop reading all these conspiracy theories or believing all these weird websites. Look at only credible sources for information. Anyway, I live in my apartment alone so I was worried about my neighbours. What if they contracted the disease from me? From touching the same gate as I did or something. Some of my neighbours were tested but luckily their results were negative. The Lagos State COVID-19 team also went to a supermarket I had visited earlier, to trace staff I may have had contact with. I don’t know the results of those tests. I hope none of them tested positive. I was on admission in Yaba for 14 days. I remember a man that was brought into our ward. He was in his late 70s. He was clearly in a bad shape, he could hardly breathe. He struggled to walk. He was only with us for one night. The next morning, he was taken away. We don’t know what happened to him. We asked the health workers but they didn’t tell us anything. Maybe because of ‘patient confidentiality’. Nobody said anything. I wonder where he is or what happened to him. – Olubunmi Adefisayo, #COVID19 Survivor”