Friday had come after I had stayed the whole week doing nothing in school. The Academic Saff Union of Universities (ASUU) had called a nationwide warning strike a week ago, so lectures sat at home and majority of students had travelled to their respective homes. My family lives in Lagos state, which was the only place a covid-19 case had been recorded in Nigeria as at then, so I knew better than to travel to lagos. The days got more boring and empty as they passed by. I spent most of my day on my phone, watching movies, reading updates on the covid-19 cases worldwide.
I couldn't endure the boredom any longer, so I decided to go stay at my home town in Anambra state. My aunt and her kids lived in our family compound. By this time, there were only 5 cases of Covid-19 recored in Nigeria and all were in Lagos state. In one of the buses I boarded home, there was this woman that kept coughing at the sit behind me, We all know the stigma that comes with coughing in public places since the virus arrived. Everyone in the bus felt uncomfortable.
I got to my hometown safely. This place felt much more boring than where I was coming from. So I decided to go stay with a friend of mine who lived at a neighbouring town. Finally, someone of my age grade who I could relate with and have proper discussions with. It was here that myself quarantine session all began.
It started after 4 days of stayin at my friend's place, during this time I had practiced stay at home so well, I could count how many times I had gone outside the room door. At first I started getting headaches. It would come and go often and felt more intense in the morning and at night. My panic mode had been activated but was still under control. I flooded my browser with searches about symptoms of the covid-19. Guess what, the Internet always gives you what you want, so many health sites had put headaches as other minor symptoms.
Have you ever panicked before, you daily activities will seem so unusual to you. Next I found myself always checking my throat by tightening the muscles at my throat with the same question popping in my head "is this how it has always been, or is my throat sore?". Finally it came, I started feeling a little sore in my throat only that this time it was a self imposed sore. The symptoms of the virus are sore throats, then a fever with temp up to 37° C and then you start coughing before difficulties in breathing sets in. I had seen a video online, about how you could check youself manually. You breathe in the you hold your breath for more than 10 seconds, if you complete it without coughing, or any stiffness or tightening, it means there is no Covid-19 caused fibrosis in the lungs. I saw myself doing this at every slightest chance I got. You really do not want to hear all other crazy stuff I did out of panic.
You know this feeling you get when you are about falling sick, like you are going to run a fever. I started to get that feeling, like I was going to get sick that night. I guess this was the height of it all. I had messaged one of my close friends online, she tried to console me, advised me to stay calm and not do anything stupid. Then she shared me a Facebook video of a woman who had claimed to have recovered successfully from the virus, where she also said things she had taken and what she had done to get rid of the virus. I was scared to death at this point. I saw something online also that said the virus would live for some days in your throat before going down your lungs, so if you drank enough water, it could wash it down to your stomach where your stomach acids would kill it. I started consuming over 6 litres of water daily. I also read another one which said you should take lots of vitamin Cs, that it would boost your immune system to fight off the virus. I began taking lots of Vitamin Cs, this could also cause kidney stones. I did a lot of crazy stuffs. That feeling of getting sick happened for about 3 nights, and then it stopped.
I guess it'll remain a mystery to me if I ever actually had the virus or if it was just my mind playing games on me. Either way, panic was never the answer. All the weird things I did, I look back now and laugh at them.
There is no available medical vaccine for the covi-19, so the best thing is to stay safe by social distancing. The virus does not move, it onlyspreads when we move about. So it's best to stay at home so you'll avoid contacting the virus or spreading the virus if you are infected already. Stay far away from fake messages spreading on different social media about prevention measures against the virus. Wish you the Best Quarantine Holidays.
