I have not read through all the posts on this thread but a few as going through and reading all the suffering around us is something I want to avoid doing as much as possible as it really affects the mental health.
Me and my family had been infected with the virus and I just wanted to share my experience which may help others.
For us the symptoms were luckily not severe and started off with fever followed by coughing. So, as a precaution I ordered a Oximeter to keep a check on everyone's reading at home as we were not sure if it was a viral or Covid 19 which was affecting our health. The reading for my mom and especially dad rang the alarm bells as both were below 95. Mom's reading was around 94 and dad around 88. Considering both are diabetic and dad also a heart patient wanted to get the covid test done asap, but with the situation Mumbai was in it was not a easy task. Somehow managed to get one person form Thyrocare to come home and do a Antigen and RTPCR test for both mom and dad.
In ideal world I would have not gone for a Antigen test as they are not reliable and the RTPCR test reports would come in only after a few days. Antigen test came positive for both mom and dad and surprisingly it showed mom had a severe condition than dad. So, all the thoughts that I have been trying to keep away started running in my mind and was struggling to decide on the next steps, which was to get both of them hospitalized as suggested by a few doctors whom I was speaking with.
However, the challenge was getting a bed and even if you get one they won't admit without an RTPCR positive report or and HRCT scan report. With the number of cases getting a scan done was also a challenge with the number of patients queuing up and most of them would be positive like us and that brings up another thought of you actually spreading it to other or getting infected further. Got the HRCT scan done and the reports were shared over whatsapp around midnight which gave a clear report for mom and some mild infection for Dad with a score of 10 over 25.
With this got dad admitted the next day and that is when surprisingly I got the RTPCR reports as well. Now, this was the most messed up part as the Antigen showed mom to be more infected than dad and the RTPCR report came positive for mom and negative for dad
This is when I realized that you really can't depend on these tests and HRCT scan was more reliable and more on the lines of the symptoms what my parents had.
Its now almost three weeks since this ordeal began and most of us have recovered well. Dad was in the hospital for five days and they discharged him after 5 days once the Remdesivir course of six vials were completed. He was given two doses on the first day itself.
One piece of advice that I would like to share, which maybe very difficult to follow in many cases is get a reliable hospital bed. I know with the situation we are in getting a hospital bed is a challenge and one can really not demand something better, but what I am trying to say is all covid hospitals, won't allow relatives to go in and once you send your loved ones in you are really at their mercy. A few weeks back the oxygen shortage was just picking up and the biggest worry was getting Remdesivir vials and hospitals were asking the the patients relatives to arrange for it. This was a added stress I wanted to avoid and everyone in my family was behind me to get my dad admitted asap and in any hospital bed that was available. But they would also say check if they have proper oxygen supply and ICU facility something I cannot go and physically check. Luckily in my case I got get a bed in a reputed hospital and only time I visited them was to get my dad admitted and then discharged and used to receive regular calls from the hospital on a daily basis updating on the treatment and dads health. Also, we were in touch with him over the phone as well.
Hence, I know this is something that can't be avoided in the current situation but better to have it in mind and do your best when the time arrives.
Thanks for reading and stay safe...