Experiencing the Covid saga

I have led an ordinary albeit eventful life. Not even my next-door neighbours are aware of the stuff the life of a surgeon involves. So, I am practically still a nobody in my neighbourhood. All this changed the day I tested positive for Covid-19.

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I felt a little stuffiness in the nose, no alarming symptoms, but since my wife, who is a physician, smelt a rat, I was dutifully deposited in front of a kind-looking but all-covered-up healthcare professional for a test.

The exercise of drawing a sample was akin to burrowing a deep tunnel through a hard rock like a seasoned geologist. I was given clear instructions to keep the eyes open while he looked for the elusive ‘gold’. The ordeal over, a silent prayer went up half as an appeal and half as an expectation, that it is all going to be fine.

The next morning, events unfolded rapidly. The first of the calls came from a very empathetic stranger: “None of the tests had been positive for two weeks, but sorry to tell you sir, in your case it’s positive.”

I, who was adept at telling harsh facts to others, was at the receiving end. Life truly had changed in that one moment. I say that with even more emphasis due to subsequent happenings.

“Sir, I am calling from the SDM’s office, can you please confirm your address?” “Sir, this is the MC office, how many members are there in your house?” “Sir, the area of your house, number of rooms! Do you have adequate space?” “Sir, who comes to collect waste from your house?” The calls came from different sources. “Sir, I am calling from the preventive health department”. “This call is from the medical college to ascertain where did you travel in the last few days.” The ‘true caller’ identified the rest of the missed calls from the local SHO, PGI and my workplace.

The unthinkable had happened. I felt like a hapless celebrity with the paparazzi in hot pursuit. Nobody had ever cast a second look at me in my colony for ever since I remembered, but now I was the cynosure of all eyes. To top it all, the day’s newspapers proclaimed, “Lone case of Covid reported from the city.”