By Paula Murira | Field monitor & Social Media Manager
* not their real name
"When the year 2021 started, most of us disregarded the C-19 prevention protocols." Lisa* Started narrating. "We assumed because a lot of programs like schooling were resuming, that it had gone away. My friends and I decided to go on a road trip to enjoy ourselves after a long year of being 'too cautious'. We could not of cared any less. We did not observe any social distancing even with strangers in crowded places. We just wanted to have fun and kept convincing ourselves that we could only live while young”.
Lisa went on to say, “After our trip, we all went back to our normal lives not considering that we may have contacted COVID - after all, it had 'ended'! A few days later I started feeling lethargic and just sickly. One moment I was cold the next I could not stand having clothes on. I did not understand what was happening to my body. I developed a cough and was always short of breath. I decided to go to the hospital. After explaining myself I was immediately referred for tests as the doctor suspected either TB or C-19 and true to his suspicion, on getting my results back I tested positive for COVID”.
Lisa continues “I knew I had only interacted with my friends, otherwise I had been at home most of the time. I called to confirm if they were okay and 3 out of 8 were not feeling okay. We decided that those who were okay would quarantine themselves just in case and those that were showing signs got tested and if positive they isolate so that they would not spread it to other people. It dawned on me that Rosey, CHAT CORP partner, who lives in the same area as me, was not wrong when she kept calling to ask me if I had a mask on and if I was keeping safe. Being the young carefree person I am, I almost thought she was annoying and wished she'd stopped pestering me. Oh, how I wish I knew she was trying to save me the suffering!”.
“Though my symptoms did not get very severe and could be managed through home-based care, it was difficult to get help at most times. Only Rosey would come in full gear to check whether I was feeding and if I was taking my medication as advised. Other people feared that even by having a phone call I could end up infecting them. I realized that even though we had all the information, there was some sort of stigma. Rosey had a huge task to mitigate myths and misinformation ahead - to get people in our small village to listen and understand that with proper protection, while interacting with a confirmed case, they could not contact C-19, that once I get healed, they cannot get it because I no longer had the disease, and best of all is if they got vaccinated, they had a better fighting chance. I regret the carelessness."
CHAT reached a total of 29,993 people with integrated family planning & COVID 19 behaviour change communication (bcc).
CORPs distributed face masks, soap, hand sanitizers, provided 5 litre & 20 litre containers towards constructing simple hand-washing stations for C-19 prevention.
"The caution that existed in the spring has more and more been replaced by hugs and parties, bus trips in rush-hour traffic, and an everyday life that, for many, seems to return to normal. What we do right now, we will be glad of later. What we do wrong now, we will suffer for later."
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven
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