At the time of writing this piece, I am a COVID-19 patient. I am not the only one, almost everyone in my Dubai office has contracted the coronavirus. The few still not affected are also one by one falling into the grip of the pandemic.
As the number of COVID patients increased, I got myself tested on June 13 even though I had no symptoms of the disease. When the results came, it showed I was positive. Then began the 14-day quarantine.
It’s been a little over a week in quarantine now, but I have not had any serious health problems. I am taking rest at my home.
I have headlined this article as being a COVID patient’s note from the sickbed, but the fact is that I am hardly on the bed.
There is no change in my daily routine or my daily work. The only difference is that I now finish my work from home without going to the office.
We are the largest supplier of PPE kit in the Gulf countries. This is not only a very busy time for us, it is also very valuable. Everything related to the business has to be taken care of, even if it has to be done from home.
My wife and children are in the native place in Kerala. I speak to them daily through video calls.
I wanted to tell others about my illness only after I got better. However, once a relative from Sharjah called for some official work and I had to tell him that I am not in office, but taking rest at home as I am down with COVID.
In his office, a youth had died of COVID two months ago. He is my well-wisher and he informed everyone, including my father and relatives, so that I could get the benefit of their prayers.
As everyone at the house and in the native place came to know about my condition, I was flooded with phone calls. Many started crying over the phone. Some complained that I did not inform them about my condition.
As the number of phone calls increased, I became stressed. Most callers suggested various medicines for a cure — from Senna to black cumin, from fennel to fenugreek to many fruit varieties.
Everyone had only one thing to say: “We are ready to do anything for you.”
The plight of many COVID patients in the Gulf and in Kerala is worse than this. Many expats in the Gulf will be alone. When relatives and friends start ‘showering their love’ like this, it causes a fear psychosis in the expats afflicted with COVID.
Most deaths of COVID patients are due to heart attacks. Many are under great mental stress.
Dr Irfan, who treats COVID patients at the Hamad Hospital in Doha, is a relative of mine. Since I have no symptoms of COVID like cough, headache or fever, he said I don’t have to take any medicine. His advise has been that I should have a good meal and adequate sleep.
The best thing to happen is when you are infected by coronavirus and you come out of it unscathed. Doha and Dubai have acquired herd immunity.
While writing this article, the UAE had 44,925 people with COVID, of which 32,415 had recovered. In other words, the recovery rate is 72.15per cent. Given that 302 patients had died, the mortality rate comes to 0.67per cent. At least a small percentage of the deaths could have been caused by the fear psychosis.
I was able to help many people in distress in the last few months with the support of my Public Relations Officer Kunju Mohammed, who is a member of Kerala chief minister's task force, media houses and community organisations working among Keralites, such as KMCC and Orma.
When he spoke to patients personally, he found they had no serious health problems. Their problem was loneliness or isolation, psychological distress, the phone calls from Kerala accompanied by a lot of crying, and the disquiet at not knowing when they will be able to return to Kerala.
May be sufficient number of flight services to Kerala could have saved many lives.
The family is not with them, and when they are diagnosed with COVID they feel more lonely. The loneliness reaches a peak when they are put in isolation because of coronavirus. This has pushed many people into depression. Even the most brave are falling victim to this.
I have to make a special mention of a friend. He is Rafeeq from Kasargode. He is a businessman. He has been getting me my meals since the day he got to know about my condition. He started doing this without anyone asking him or telling him. Whenever he comes, he leaves me with a positive energy. He never asks me about my illness. He talks only business — from a little distance to maintain social distancing.
If I have to tell the truth, I now sympathise with all the COVID patients in the world. Many of the patients could have recovered fast. Unfounded fear primarily brought about their death.
As far as I understand, self-acquired immunity happens in COVID cases, too. How long the immunity will last is now a subject of research. The best way for smaller places like Dubai to fight a disease like COVID is to get to self-acquired immunity.
The number of asymptomatic people with COVID and those who fought the disease by resting at home is much more than the official figure put out by the authorities. It is likely that more than half of the population in the UAE has already had COVID.
All the malls in Dubai are open to everyone, irrespective of age. Beaches and playgrounds are also open to the public.
We are all well aware of the disease and we know what to do when it strikes. However, many people have no idea of how important it is to provide psychological support to those in isolation because of COVID. Please don’t push them to death by giving them unnecessary stress.
Many of them will not only overcome the disease without any problem, they will also come out stronger.
(Yaseen Hasan is the CEO & Managing Director, C&H Global Investments, Dubai.)
