We are working with the Journalist, Socrates Mbamalu to share stories from people that have been directly and indirectly affected by this pandemic.
#CovidStories is a new MANI series where we interview people whose lives have been impacted by this pandemic. The subject for today’s story is an entrepreneur and a student that has been hit badly by the pandemic and is just trying to stay afloat.
Hello. Can you introduce yourself and tell me what you do?
My name is Dr. Damilola Sanni. I am a family physician and an agricultural entrepreneur, or a farmer if you like.
This period has been particularly difficult on everyone, especially regarding our mental health and fears associated with getting the virus. How has this experience been like for you as a front liner, an entrepreneur and in your personal life?
There has been a general air of fear due to lack of enough information. It has not been business as usual as people’s lives has been tampered with, so there is general anxiety across board- from patients, to doctors. Everyone generally.
That is true for a lot of people. You were on the Babatunde Fashola Annual lecture as a panel member this year in relation to being a covid survivor. Can you take us through the experience? From how you contacted the virus, to informing your family members and your experience in the isolation center?
Some time in February, there was a piece of information in circulation about how the virus cannot survive in Nigeria because we’re in the tropics, so I was a little dismissive as first. I was being careful, and I took precautions, but I wasn’t so bothered still. The risk was higher for me because where I work is close to a point of entry into the country and high traffic.
When the full lock down started, it got more serious for me, but I still had to attend to patients in hospitals. I think I was exposed to a patient who had been treated for malaria by a colleague of mine. When I started getting sick, I thought it was just malaria too, and that it would pass. When we discovered that the patient we had seen tested positive to covid, and another colleague of mine had presented with loss of smell, I took the test. The test came back positive after three days.
At first, I told myself that I would be able to handle myself since I’m a doctor, but it hit differently.
How did you feel in that moment?
I was on my way home when I got the phone call. I had thought myself to be a strong guy, but when I heard, I slowed the car down to process what I had just heard. Honestly, I was surprised at myself because I didn’t think I was going to react that way. I wasn’t thinking about the possibility before, but when the result came in, I started to think about my life.
At this point, I was developing more symptoms so I had no choice but to take it seriously. When I got home, I got a call from psychosocial support- they wanted to ease me into the process of evacuation and quarantine, but I told them I’d rather isolate at home alone.
But I got a call the next day that I would be picked up in the next 15 minutes to be transported to the isolation center. I was so confused because I was not even prepared for that at all!
I was picked up and taken to a different isolation center, because I’m a health worker. It felt like a nice holiday, but with constant thoughts of death and all the things that could possibly go wrong.
My symptoms got worse while I was on admission- chest pain, abdominal pain, some side effects of the medications I was taking as well. As the symptoms worsened, I found myself thinking of a will. I thought I was young, but I began to think about the number of shoes I had, who will I be giving them to, etc.
Two weeks went past that way, and I was discharged and asked to go isolate at home for another two weeks.
Pre-testing, you were in constant contact with you friends and family?
Yes.
How did you feel about being high risk to them when you got your result?
My family is medically oriented, so they understood the risk. The part I thought about most wasn’t about my direct family, but about those that aren’t so medically oriented and had had contact with me when I was seemingly fine. The guilt of unknowingly infecting someone was very heavy on me.
I started thinking of telling all those I had met before knowing I was positive. The very worst part is that I have a very old grandmother I used to see every week pre-covid whom I enjoyed a very cordial relationship with and all of a sudden I had to avoid her and she didn’t understand why because I wasn’t going to tell her I had covid.
Were you compensated since you contacted the virus in the line of your work?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t. We’ve all had different experiences in our lines or work, and this being a novel experience, employers and employees have different ideas about what compensation is.
Things could have been handled better, of course. But the excuse is that we have never dealt with this before.
Did you face any level of stigma at any point in time?
Yes.
Initially, quite a lot of people thought Covid is a scam, some still do. A few days ago, I was talking to a group of people about Covid and I asked how many of them believed in Covid and I didn’t get any response. I told them that I have had Covid, since every one of them didn’t want to admit they know someone that has had it.
Immediately, one woman stood up and said “It’s a lie! God forbid! I reject it for you in Jesus name.” I got various versions of that from the group, all of them praying that I will not have it.
I told them everything and they still didn’t believe me. The same thing happened when I told my barber that I had been infected. He looked like he was going to run away for a bit.
Due to my line of work, I’m not so sensitive to stigma. I tell them the truth, and if they don’t believe me, there is nothing I can do about it.
Thank you very much for this. It has been very informative.
You’re welcome.
If you have a story to share with us about your experiences during this pandemic, please click here.