Honestly after being a health journalist when other major viral outbreaks like SARS or Swine flu surfaced, I was sure Corona will behave in a similar manner.
An altered life style for a while, some basic precautions and life as usual.
Had seen videos from Wuhan were drones were chasing people back into their homes. I sound insensitive but thought it was China, things happen there . We were safe
. Some cases were reported in South but ignored . Trump visit had just gotten over and thousands had gathered.
Alarm bells rang when a parent in a Noida school tested positive. My children’s exams were suddenly rescheduled and held the day we were to travel to Srinagar/
I went ahead, dressed my children up
In the school washroom and left for Srinagar. Little cautious - not letting them touch anything but ok.
Even when WHO declared it a pandemic I though it was another swine flu.
An already existing medicine would soon work.
World would soon get some prophylactic antibiotic or a shot.
And the virus will slowly weaken.
Weren’t more people dying due to seasonal flu ( around 6 to 7 lakh people) every year.
What was the fuss about, I asked my doctor friends, who themselves had no idea what they were dealing with—the virus was more virulent they said. Passed on very very quickly.
No one knew about the real complications than, the cheesy lungs, the low oxygen saturation, the unpredictability of disease, the uselessness of major antibiotics- none knew what was in store.
My parent were struck in Saudi Arabia for nine months and returned only when when my aunt passed away due to corona after effects.
I was lucky to be in Srinagar with family, can’t imagine what six months of getting stuck in a small flat with two children would have meant. One year on am still discussing whether to sign that consent to send kids back to school.
And life as we knew it, will never be the same again.
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