1 Scilent Killer C---19

Covid-19 as become an unforgettable moment in my life. My uncle, Venkatesh Prabhu and my aunt, Shobha Prabhu lives in Uganda, Africa. They have two children - Esha and Ashish Prabhu.

On 1st Dec my uncle found that his neck was swelled up. He just neglected it for few days thinking that it was just a normal wound. Then it started paining severely. Hence, he consulted a doctor. The doctor diagnosed and rectified that it was muscle cramps and advised him to apply painkiller given to him.

After few days, he found that the medicine prescribed by doctor did not affect his body. Therefore, he re-visited the doctor and told him that the medicine did not cure his wound. The doctor suggested him to take physiotherapy and so he started taking physiotherapy. After two sittings he got some relief and hence doctor insisted him to continue this therapy until it gets completely cured. On the fifth sitting when he went to clinic, he found that the clinic was full of people and hence he waited in the room. He met one of his Indian friend and started talking with him as it had been a long time before they met. "Why is it so rush today?" asked my uncle. He replied "These people are the patients of covid and I too had covid positive few days back. I am feeling better now. My uncle was very frightened!

He left the place and went his home. He got freshed up and took rest in his room. At night he got fever suddenly.

Next day, he visited the doctor and explained him what had happened in the previous day. The doctor listened and advised him to do blood test. He did has doctor said and his report said that he has typhoid. He took treatment for typhoid and soon got recovered from it and felt very happyJ

On the next day he started coughing severely. He took some rest in his room and at night he was suffering from fever.

Next day he visited the doctor and he insisted him to do covid test and to continue the medicine given for typhoid. After the test they asked him to take the report after two days.

After two days, he got his report and to his bad luck it was positive. Soon after that he called the doctor and told him that he was covid positive. The doctor asked him to do self-quarantine and even changed his treatments.

After few days, his conditioned worsened and my aunt called India and informed our family doctor. She explained her about my uncle conditions. The doctor advised to take CT scan. In the report, they found that the lungs were affected. Then the doctor insisted her to make him admit in the hospital immediately. In the surrounding hospitals no one agreed to admit him has there was lack of beds. So my aunt took care of my uncle by making him self-quarantine and hired a nurse to do a treatment.

At night the nurse found that there was a variation in his saturation level and so she informed my aunt and said that it is very difficult to take care in house and he should be admitted to the hospital immediately.

Next day they showed the monitoring report in one of the hospital and they made a special room for him. To our bad luck that day was Christmas and all the doctors had taken holiday, as it is one of the major festivals in Uganda. Then the medical supridant of hospital treated my uncle and gave some pills. There were neither proper facilities nor doctors in the whole city. My uncle's condition started becoming critical and even they did not allow us to see his situation.

On 27th Dec 2020, my aunt received a call from the hospital and they told her that his condition was very critical and is going out of control. When she reached the hospital, she found that the doctors were treating him and his condition of respiratory system was becoming critical, he was hardly able to breathe. One of the doctors told my aunt, "We have given all the treatments and he is in observation, so nothing to worry".

On 28th Dec early morning at 3.30am he passed away….

It was a very saddest moment in my life. I had never expected that it would happen like this nor I would lose my uncle.

Anyways it's done, so I hope that no other person would suffer from covid and all will get good and proper facilities.

Due to covid-19 situation we could not help them from our side and we became helpless. My aunt faced the problems all alone but still we could not save him.

As all the cremations were done there we could not see his face also for the last time…

"We pray for his rest in peace"