As COVID-19 rips through the country with more than 276 000 cases reported and more than 4 000 deaths on Sunday, the situation looks dire. However, there is good news.
The national recovery figure stands at just over 48% with many stories of hope emerging.
Caught in the COVID-19 storm, Eastern Cape COVID-19 survivor Nomxolisi Mapekula-Ncai says the Umthatha General Hospital helped her a lot.
“They took me to Umthatha General. Oh, they helped me there a lot – the positiveness of the nurses and doctors because they were so eager to help us. We were struggling and (we were) given oxygen and they helped us with everything.”
Stories of survival and beating the odds. For COVID-19 survivor Kyle Groenewald, testing positive came as a shock. His biggest worry was the safety of his wife and unborn child.
“I was more worried about my wife and unborn child and I wanted to make sure that they were safe. When I found out (about his positive COVID-19 status), we tried to keep the social distance,” says Groenewald.
He ended up in ICU fighting for his life. “I was on a ventilator. It was not the most comfortable feeling. You stayed with it 24 hours. It showed the positions you could be able to get your lungs on a normal breathing and it saved my life.”
Another survivor, Phumeza Ceshemba, who nearly gave up the fight, says friends and family helped her through the dark times.
“It was a scary time for my family because me and my husband were positive. As a family, we needed to be united and taking medication at the same time … everything.”
However, stigmatisation remains an issue.
In the video below, recovered COVID-19 patients bemoan stigmatisation:
Another survivor Buli Maliza says she suffered the scorn of her neighbours after they found out that she had tested positive.
“I was traumatised by the pandemic itself, but I was also traumatized by the stigmatisation and harassment and racism I suffered. It was unwarranted and it was at the worst time … especially by my neighbours.”
Amid a soaring infection rate, are encouraging recovery figures.
Clinical Psychologist Themba Trust Manzini says family and friends should stay calm and be supportive as loved ones recover from the virus.
“Once you have tested positive, it’s as if you are treated like a criminal because they investigate everything around it and that guilt and shame is overwhelming as if you have done something bad. They feel rejected and have elevated anxiety. What is important is that you need to be supportive, positive and make the situation to be hopeful or don’t make the situation worse.”
For the frontline workers, saving lives and seeing COVID-19 patients walk out of hospital makes all the sacrifices worth it.
The message from survivors is “stay safe and stay positive.”
EDITORIAL NOTE: Note that this article was amended on Sunday 12 July 2020.
