Background
Time is relative or is it?
It feels like this happened eons ago but it had just been 6 years. The theory of relativity feels real and relatable. Looking back I remember some bizzare events which feel unreal today. One of such is COVID-19 pandemic.
We had just entered the year 2020. A lot of theories were being thrown around - I guess that is that deliverable of the astrologers, though none of them predicted the real future. Within a few days, a news circulated 'An unknown viral infection is spreading in China. This infection is contagious. It has no cure or vaccine. It is lethal. Most people who had contracted it have been dead.' This infection was called COVID-19 (Coronovirus disease; 19 indicating the beginning of the outbreak in the year 2019).
This was just a beginning. Influencers needs a viral topic and they had just hit the jackpot with it. Influences who had no medical degree (or no degree in some cases) or any understanding of medical issues became the 'voice of people' and started making content about this disease. They had no verified or real information. But having a lot of social media following, a camera, and a mic, gave them the freedom to speak whatever they wanted. Some of them decided to take a route to believe in the outbreak and instil the fear; while others decided to deny the occurence of it. Either of the group was not found to be helpful.
In the month of January, most countries did not act much strictly towards it. However, checks at the airports began. Every country was ill equipped to carry out checks because it was the first time when this infection has occurred in human beings (it was known to occur in bats, but it had never been transmitted to humans). The checks mainly included body temperature and oxygen saturation levels.
Then came February. The cases of COVID-19 were on rise. The infection had started spreading in other countries. Some unverified reports of infection were reported in India as well. Checks were now being performed at every public space. Any person having cough, cold, or fever was treated like an offender.
In this chaos, despite being from a paramedical field, I was chill. From what I had read, COVID-19 was a lot similar to influenza. Similar symptoms and similar outcome. Many other healthcare professionals like me too had shared same views. I remembered my colleague telling me, "who wants to die of cold and cough? Death should be caused by some serious illness" (healthcare professionals have dark sense of humor).
I was still carefree and roaming without a mask till the mid of March 2020. I only started taking it seriously when I learnt that elderly are at greater risk of contraction and complications. Thinking about my parents, I started taking a few precautionary measures. From what I had read from medical journals was still telling me that this infection was not as serious as it has been made. It was not the monster it was portrayed to be. Soon I was going to learn I was wrong.
