A Summer unlike any other!

Introduction

On 14th March, 2020, my friends and I were having snacks in our hostel mess at around 5 in the evening. We envied our IIT Delhi counterparts since their institute had declared a long holiday owing to the growing Coronavirus threat. Suddenly, a friend of mine noticed an email from the Director of IIT Bombay. We knew it even before he started reading the message aloud. A 15-day holiday was declared and we were asked to leave campus ASAP. We were ecstatic; who wouldn’t be? I took a cab that very evening and arrived home in time for dinner.

As the pandemic unfolded in ways we could have never imagined, my parents, being doctors, were very clear about one thing: someday or the other, our entire family was going to get infected. No matter how careful they are in the hospital, no PPE kit is 100% reliable. Considering how highly infectious it is, even if one of them bring the virus home, that would’ve been enough.

Precautions

My mom knew how hopelessly deficient our modern diet is when it comes to some essential vitamins and minerals. Add to it the fact that my brother and I are hardcore fast-food lovers (in my defence, the terrible mess food is a valid explanation 😝). As a result, our blood test results were not surprising: our Vitamin B12, C and D levels were way below the prescribed threshold. To boost our immunity, we started taking supplements. These included a daily dose of Zinc, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C and a weekly dose of Vitamin D. After a heated debate between mom and dad about whether HCQ is safe and worth the risk, followed by consultation with various experts, we had one extra pill, to be taken once a week. In addition to supplements, we kept a tab on our Oxygen Saturation level (SpO2) twice a day. It is said that a value below 94 is not a good sign. Consecutive readings below 94 implies that its high time you visit a doctor. Luckily, it never dropped below 94 for any of us. Last but not the least, we got a steam machine, which is generally used to cure common cold. Inhaling a few puffs is said to be another preventive measure.

The New Normal

The nation-wide lockdown made my routine simple since I hardly ventured out. No chance of meeting school friends. No chance of playing Gully Cricket. Since we were told that we are expected in campus after 2 weeks, I tried filling the holes in my understanding of various topics in various courses. All those minute details which you wish you had looked into when it was being taught but somehow couldn’t find time. 10 days into our new routine, we received another email - although it was expected, the official confirmation hit us hard. Our summer vacations were preponed and the rest of the semester was pushed to June. Which meant that our summer internships were now in jeopardy. I was one of the lucky ones - the company where I was going to intern already had the required infrastructure to shift the entire internship experience online. It started on 15th April and lasted till the 12th of June. It kept me busy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I even wrote a blog post about it!

My routine was simple - wake up at 8.30. Write code from around 9 am to 5.30 pm. Exercise (at home of course) for about an hour. Nothing fancy - just bodyweight exercises such as pushups, crunches and sit-ups, followed by stretching. I picked up a new skill too - playing the violin. My grandmother, who still plays the instrument at the age of 80, was more than happy to teach me the basics. I learnt to play a few Hindustani Classical Raagas. Before going to bed, I’d either read a book or do a video call with my friends. We would often reminiscence about the good old days. We all missed the campus life. The initial excitement of not having to attend lectures at 8.30 in the morning had waned off. Now, we badly wanted to return to campus.

After my 2-month internship was over, I resumed working on a research project. Life went on. Until …

The Inevitable

In the first week of August, a week before my next semester started, my dad complained of severe body ache at night. He already knew what it meant. Being a classic symptom of COVID-19, we had no option but to get the entire family tested. There were no surprises: each and every one of us tested positive. Our lives had turned upside down in a span of just 24 hours. My dad got admitted since he had severe symptoms. Although my grandmother did not experience any, we still got her admitted owing to her age and a few co-morbidities. Fortunately, the number of patients had not exploded in Nashik and we had no difficulty in finding a room for the two of them. Meanwhile, my mom, my brother and I did a CT scan. Luckily, the results indicated that our lungs weren’t affected much by the virus. We were prescribed Favipiravir to combat the virus and a host of other medicines to prevent side effects and boost our immunity. The next day happened to be my birthday. What a unique birthday present!

We had the luxury of quarantining each person in a separate room at our house. Apart from body ache, none of us had any symptoms. In fact, my brother looked up the numbers of false positives since he was completely asymptomatic! The Municipal Corporation put up a ‘No Entry’ banner at our gate.

A separate garbage vehicle was sent to collect the trash every morning. Food was delivered to us by friends and family. To minimise the number of utensils, we switched to disposable paper plates, cups and spoons. Had to sweep and mop our own rooms. I developed a whole new level of appreciation for my mom and the maids who run the house.

After a week, we did another CT scan to track the growth of the virus and the results were not-so-encouraging: my mom and I had Grade 6 changes in our lungs (with Grade 0 meaning no changes). Favipiravir had failed to tame the virus and we switched to the more potent Remdesvir, which is, as of now, the most popular drug for treating patients who are admitted in hospitals. Luckily, my dad had recovered and returned home, with mild weakness as the only residual symptom. He could administer Remdesvir intravenously to me and my mom at home. It worked like magic. After the recommended 5-day dose, the weakness had disappeared. Ripping off the IV line from my forearm was one of the happiest moment of my life!

Wrap-Up

It was one hell of an experience. I experienced the whole spectrum of emotions: anxiety before the results came out, fear after hearing about the Grade 6 changes, boredom when I was quarantined in my room and jubilance when it was all over! Here are my two cents:

• Talk to your doctor and take supplements if required. Even though I did get infected despite taking supplements for 4 months, who knows? Maybe the symptoms could’ve been much worse without the extra boost in immunity. Point being: there is no harm in taking them, as long as your doctor guarantees that they have no side effects.
• I am not going to talk about using masks and sanitisers. I think every human being on earth is aware of their importance.
• Don’t ignore any symptoms, no matter how mild they are. Talk to your doctor and get tested. I’ve heard of cases in which the victim shrugged off the mild fever and later paid a hefty price for the careless attitude. Think it’s another viral fever? - doesn’t matter. Just get tested!
• Regular exercise always helps! Keep those lungs strong and active.
• Stock up on some disposable cutlery such as paper plates, cups, spoons, etc. Life will be much easier since you can simply toss them in the dustbin when you are done.
• Check your SpO2 levels regularly. A thumb-sized instrument is readily available in the market. Consult with a doctor regarding the threshold and immediately report any drops.
• Keep in touch with your friends and family through calls (But don’t overdo it. You might not realise it but it is quite taxing). Read a book. Strike off those movies and TV shows from you watchlist. Rest well. Get more than 8 hours of sleep. Don’t let boredom and depression take over.
• Keep aside all your fancy diets for a few weeks. Nothing beats home-cooked food. Ask your friends and family for a simple healthy balanced meal.
• Don’t panic - it’s not that difficult to beat if you follow your doctor’s advice and take your medication on time. Just hang tight - you’ll defeat it in no time!