I did not expect COVID-19 to teach me anything when it entered the world, but it had a lot of lessons to give. Initially, I believed that it was just an illness that will subside after a couple of weeks. Yet as time passed by, I started to comprehend the fact that COVID-19 was more than a virus. It added to my knowledge on matters of health, keeping our hands clean, using a mask, and above all, it enlightened me about something termed as hidden infections.
I have never really considered infections which are without symptoms before COVID-19. When a person is sick, you assume that they are to have fever, cough, catarrh or pain in the body. Yet, COVID-19 taught us that an infected person could be a carrier of a dangerous virus, but appear absolutely healthy. They may move freely, laugh and even embrace others yet they are infecting the virus. It is what we term as a hidden infection or asymptomatic infection.
This is the first time I witnessed this kind of thing in COVID-19. Citizens were actually being tested and some who would feel fine would test positive. It was a shock to me. How to feel fine when the person is ill? That is when I learned that sickness is not always manifested on the surface.
The thing about the hidden infections is that it is very dangerous since you cannot do battle against something you cannot see. When a person has malaria, he becomes weak and develops fever, he then seeks a treatment. Yet with COVID, there are individuals who do not realize they have the virus, and therefore they just keep on moving around and infecting other people. This is the reason why it became so difficult to control.
As an illustration, in Nigeria, there were fellows who did not think that COVID existed initially. Others claimed that they did not know anybody with it. The thing is though many people had it and did not even know. Others lived on without realizing that they were ill. Yet not everyone that they passed it to was lucky. They caught the disease and some of them even died. It demonstrated to me that not everything about sickness is visible.
Personally, I had a cousin who had tested positive for COVID and did not show any symptoms. He went to the test only when his colleague at work tested positive. We were shocked when his result was out. He was in good looks, eating well and even playing games. However, he was to be in the seclusion of 14 days. At home we were scared since we had been together with him last weekend.
The slap made my eyes open. Considering that he did not want to go and stay at home, had he not taken the test, he would have conducted himself freely and might have infected an elderly adult or an ill one. This had the effect of making me understand that it is not only upon myself to test and abide by safety regulations, but also shield other individuals.
It is possible to name a couple of good lessons that COVID revealed to me that year. The former is that we are not to judge by externals. An infected person may be looking healthy not bearing in mind that they have an infection. When there are many people this is when we should be extra cautious. I learned to be careful yet not afraid of the virus.
And not just that, In some instances, getting tested even when you are not feeling ill can save other people. This was demonstrated in the case of my cousin. Many of us would have been infected had we been unaware that he was having it. I found out that we are not only protecting ourselves but we are protecting others. Wearing face masks, washing hands, avoiding large groups, all that is the way of helping people who can be more susceptible like elderly people and people with health concerns.
I was not so concerned about such details as hand sanitizers or nose masks before COVID. However, now I admire them. They are not government rules only, but instruments to prevent the dissemination of obscure infections. COVID has made me realize that prevention is the main thing. Any infection that is concealed is difficult to identify and hence safer practices should always be adhered to. It is less expensive, less risky and more advantageous than curing illnesses in future.
Although the problem of COVID is no longer as severe as it was, the lessons did not go away. The situation now is that when I visit the hospital, I do not merely contemplate my health but the health of the people around me. I use my mask when I am slightly not feeling too well. I do not hug those people when I am suffering catarrh or cough. Besides, I am now a believer in frequent medical check-ups. You can never understand what goes within your body. There are a few types of infections such as hepatitis or HIV that may go undetected within many years. COVID turned me into noticing that. I have realized the need for screening, living clean, and consuming foods that promote the immune system.
Fellow Nigerians and all Nigerians reading this, I would like us to take health seriously. There is such a thing as hidden infections. You do not need to wait and get sick to take care of yourself. Clean your hands. Eat well. Stay clean. Take tests when there is a need. Eschew risk behavior. And above all, respect the space of other people. This old thought has to change by leaving the notion that as long as I am not experiencing any signs/symptoms/indications, then I am okay. Such an attitude is perilous. Covid demonstrated to us that the illness can be lurking within and awaiting. It may be too late by the time it manifests itself.
COVID turned out to be an unpleasant experience for many people. It took lives of loved ones, altered employment and altered our way of life. However, it also served as one of the most effective health lessons of my life, it signified to me that there can be infections that are not so simple to detect and we need to learn to live with that in mind. We cannot live so irresponsibly nowadays. Although it is not as loud as it was when the pandemic invaded our lives, the message is clear: take care of your health, take care of others, and never forget about how powerful silent sickness might be. That is what COVID made me learn about the unnoticeable infections and I will never forget it.