What nurses are saying about life in Covid-19
Some people have alluded Covid-19 to a battlefield, with health workers as the frontline soldiers in the war against the disease.
Nurses are playing a role in this fight. The Junior Graphic asked them what they were doing to stay safe, whether there was hope for the future and their thoughts about the virus.
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A friend and I were discussing the other day how funny it was that people started wearing nose masks and gloves when the country recorded its first two cases.
Some of the gloves and nose masks were so dirty that they were not pleasant to look at. But now that we have a lot of recorded cases, it looks like people are tired. They wear nose masks alright, but you see them hanging around their necks.
Some people even call and ask whether Covid-19 is real because they do not know anyone who has it.
What I always tell them is that: Covid-19 is not a hoax. It’s real and if you’ve heard from those who have experienced mild symptoms, you would be careful.
One of those trying hard not to be infected is me. I am so scared that I wear my face mask everywhere except at home. As soon as I get home from work, I wash my hands, disinfect the items which need to be cleaned and then take a bath.
There is hope. This is not the time to despair. We were all hoping the virus would have been far away from us by the end of June but now it looks like we might have to live with it for a while before it completely goes away. Scientists and health professionals are working around the clock to find a solution to the problem.
Things will never be the same, but one thing I am happy about is that hopefully, personal hygiene will continue even after Covid-19.
Covid-19 is very real, so let’s not joke about it. It is important that we all wash our hands well with soap under running water for at least 20 seconds, as well as observe social distancing and wear masks and we’ll be fine. Maybe not soon enough but we will be fine.
Jennifer Deladem Woanyah,
National Reconstructive Plastics Surgery and Burns Center,
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra.
There is no denying that life will never go back to being the same. Coughs, handshakes and meet-ups all have new meanings now – an avenue to get infected by what cannot be seen.
Privacy and keeping to oneself, even at home, is the new normal. Religious activities which we hold dear to our hearts, sitting out with family and friends for a celebration, dancing and eating from the same pot with others as our culture enabled, is facing extinction because of Covid-19.
How banks did not entertain people in masks and how we only washed our hands when food was served or after using the washroom is gone forever. You must do these things all the time, else risk an infection – which is life-threatening.
All these tell us that there is a common enemy out there, which is Covid-19. So I wonder why people think the virus is not real and are living anyhow.
In fact, in my own home, right after passing through the main gate, there is now the famous ‘Veronica bucket’ with water and all its accoutrements waiting for you to wash your hands before you are allowed further entry. Anyone will stop you in your tracks until the deed is done. This is not a joke.
As uncomfortable as that is for some of us, it is the new norm and we have to deal with it. No one wants to take the risk since the mode of spread of the disease makes it rather dangerous, because you would not know exactly when and where you got it from.
The fact that you don’t have it does not mean there is no disease. We all have to protect ourselves and our families.
Later when we are free of the virus, we will tease one another with activities of the past, but in our minds we will still keep to the new safety precautions – shake ‘hands’ with the elbow or not shake hands at all.
Children, the fact that you are now learning online should tell you something, so stay home and stay safe because that is the only way you can protect yourself and your family.
Life going forward will focus more on cleanliness. Who knows, this might be nature’s way of getting us all closer to God. As the saying goes, ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’.
Moses Botchway
Paediatric Associate Resident, Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives,
Accra.
Last time I saw a boy of about 15 years in a public transport and he didn’t have his mask on. All the other passengers had theirs on and he was the odd one out.
He did not care that he was exposed and all attempts to make him wear the mask which he claimed was in his bag proved futile.
I want young people to know that they are not immune to the virus so they need to take the precautionary measures seriously and observe them.
I don’t want to be infected so I wear my nose mask all the time and also carry a hand sanitiser in my bag. I don’t touch things unnecessarily and even when I do, I sanitise my hands soon afterwards.
I am doing all these because I don’t want to be infected, neither do I want to be the reason my family and friends get it.
If the virus were not real, why would the whole world be talking about it? For more than a month now, the country has banned all commercial flights in and out of the country, so this should tell everybody that we are truly not in normal times.
Covid-19 is real and people are dying, so young people should not take for granted that they and their families are healthy, so they should not live recklessly.
Always remind parents or siblings who are going out of the house to take their nose masks and hand sanitisers to protect themselves while they are out there.
Also, it is important to eat foods that would boost the immune system and not too many starchy foods. Fruits and vegetables should be abundant in the foods we eat every day.
Covid-19 will not be here forever. It will eventually go but before it does, we should observe all the safety measures and stay safe.
Madam Lydia,
Siaw-Lartey,
Senior Nursing Officer,
Accra.