As our country is battling against the Coronavirus, there are some who are stressed and panicking about the deadly disease. While we understand the severity of the disease, we would request every citizen to maintain calm. And focus on the precautions.
Here is the fight of 45-year-old Rohit Dutta, Delhi’s first Covid-19 positive patient, against the coronavirus. He has recently recovered from the infection and shared his story with the Hindustan Times to let people know that they can defeat the virus too if required.
How He Got Infected?
Rohit Dutta, who runs a company that makes technical textile used on the tip of shoes, traveled to Italy mid-February to attend a leather exhibition. Sharing the details, he mentioned:
“I went there for work. How was I to know that I would get this disease? At the time I travelled, there were no news reports of an outbreak in Italy.”
Along with two of his brothers-in-law, he traveled to the European country. His brothers-in-law also got the infection and transmitted it to four other members of the family in Agra. All seven were admitted to Safdarjung hospital and were discharged on Saturday.
When Dutta reached Delhi from Europe on February 25, he got a fever on the same night. Recalling his ordeal, he mentioned:
“I was perfectly healthy when I was in Europe. All three of us used to walk around 25,000 steps a day; that’s not a sick person. I wasn’t screened at the airport and at the time I did not even have symptoms. I got the fever only at night,” he said.
He took paracetamol and went to bed. But the next morning, when he visited the clinic, he was prescribed medicines for three days. His symptoms subsided and he did not think too much of it.
“February 28 was my son’s birthday and I organised a small get-together at the Hyatt. My wife, two children, and mother along with the families of two of my friends, whose children are my son’s classmates, were present,” he said.
On the same night, he got a fever again. And as the news of a Covid-19 outbreak in Italy started coming in, his wife and friend asked him to get tested.
“I got scared. My wife and a friend asked me to get tested. So we went to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. There was a separate counter where I had to fill out a form. I had to check the box that said I had fever. Others were coming and going but because I had fever, the doctors there asked me to get admitted.”
On The Path Of Recovery
The next evening, he tested positive and was moved to Safdarjung hospital within 30 minutes. He mentioned:
“The authorities are working very hard to contain the disease. Within 30 minutes of me testing positive, they were at my house to test my family members and the house of my friends. The next day they tested people at the school too.”
Dutta said he found the staff at the hospital very helpful.
“When I first tested positive, I was scared. It is a new disease and I thought I might die. But the doctors came in and they explained that I had mild symptoms – just a cough and fever – and was likely to recover.
As for the nurses and cleaning staff, I thanked them for putting their lives in danger, and they told me that it was a profession that they had chosen, it was their duty and I did not need to thank them.”
Recalling the isolation ward at Safdarjung hospital, Rohit Dutta shared:
“It was unbelievable. The isolation ward at Safdarjung hospital was not what I imagined a government hospital ward to be. It was no less than a luxury hotel. The staff also maintained a high level of hygiene – cleaning all surfaces and changing linens twice a day.”
With the hope that his experience will encourage others to come forward if they have symptoms and accurately report their travel histories. And, we hope his story will inspire many to defeat this deadly virus.
