24 Nov 2020

A few days prior to October 13 2020, 44-year-old Kagiso Potongwane experienced some of the common symptoms associated with COVID-19; mild dry cough, congested nose but all not alarming.

Peculiar to all of these symptoms however was the loss of smell and taste, Gii as his peers call him, experienced which sent him to the Doctor’s room. “My doctor insisted on a COVID-19 test,” states Gii saying nervous as he was he went ahead with the tests as he later learnt that a majority of people who test positive for coronavirus complain of taste and smell loss.

Gii did his tests at Block 8 clinic and had to wait for two more daunting days for his results.

“I did not expect the positive results at all, and it came as a shock,” stated Gii who opted to get his test results over the phone from the health officials.

Experts say people feel guilty after testing positive for COVID-19 as well as anxiety, and most of the emotions stem from the fact that people sometimes blame themselves for a situation they do not have any control on.

It was the same with Gii, as he suddenly had a lot of mixed emotions of anger, guilt, self-blame and sadness. “I felt like an outcast,” he said.

Gii was then instructed to go on isolation, and at that moment he said his life came to a stop, “the isolation was unbearable because I am a very active person, and being confined to a room was not a pleasant experience.” A family man and father of two, Gii got support from his family, close friends and colleagues alike.

He said the support played a significant role in his recovery without any complications, especially that he was asymptomatic throughout the isolation period and thereafter.

“I have a very strong support system and I was able to pull through,” said Gii sending his appreciation to his church, the UCCSA, his wife and children and family members.

A healthy lifestyle also worked for the 44 year old who is a regular cyclist.

He said being COVID-19 positive is a reminder of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle; adding that he engaged more on rests, eating well and more exercises during his isolation period.

He emphasized that these are health basics that the majority of people ignore all the time and only appreciate the importance of healthy lifestyle when their health is under threat.

“The time is now to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle which could save many lives,” noted Gii.

There are some people who, no matter what the health experts say about COVID-19, do not believe they need to act on it.

“We need to take responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus and follow the preventative protocols and regulations as advised by health officials,” charged Gii saying his experience taught him that COVID-19 is real and the virus is out there amongst us.

Being open and publicly sharing the status, Gii said he believes also can help especially avoiding issues of depression.

He said he believes that Covid-19 can be managed better if freely spoken about and learn from each other particularly people who have been positive.

He said after publicly sharing his status on social media, a lot of people who had tested positive also came out as they now came to terms with dealing with their status than before.

Stigma associated with the COVID-19 can make people hide when they are sick and can also make people delay in seeking treatment. Individuals can contribute to the reduction of stigma associated with COVID-19 and help mitigate the spread.

“My family experienced some form of stigmatization unfortunately,” noted Gii, adding that because of the strong union they have as a family they chose to ignore and move on about their lives.

For him as an individual, he said it was not easy to adapt back to society as he felt really paranoid, but with the support of family he managed well. Although his friends joked about it, Gii said it made things bearable and easy to deal with the world.

He said one of the reasons he decided to share his experience publicly was to help with awareness, and emphasizing that all are responsible in the prevention of its spread.

He said being infected does not declare anyone is careless in anyway, ‘sometime one can never know where or how they got the virus, and it could be anyone anytime really.’

Gii’s message is very simple to his fellow countrymen. “The virus is amongst us. ENDS