I still don’t know from where I caught the virus – it might have been the exam centre or, perhaps, the hotel we were staying in.

By a disconcerted student

Amidst the ongoing pandemic, my university decided to conduct our first-year final exams offline. The announcement was made on September 2 that exams would commence on September 22.

I had to travel from Kashmir to Dehradun. More than the exams, I was scared of the situation and the chaos created. Not having stepped out of home since March 2020, I was anxious to have to travel and be in a crowded space.

I did everything I could to stay safe. On September 24, I started experiencing symptoms of rhinitis. I took medication and felt better within some days. Throughout my stay in Dehradun, I had a dry throat and dry nose, but there was no other sign of the coronavirus.

On October 1, I flew back to my hometown. At the airport, the authorities were conducting the Rapid Antigen Test for all the arrivals. I tested positive. I still don’t know from where I caught the virus – it might have been the exam centre or perhaps, the hotel we were staying.

With all the proper precautions, I isolated myself at home. My mother sanitised the door handles and left necessary items outside my room. I had a thermometer and pulse oximeter to monitor myself regularly.

By the next day, I started feeling progressive fatigue, followed by a dry cough. My mom contacted our family doctor and I was put on medication. I felt sleepy all the time. I had no energy and the cough kept getting worse. There was also some degree of anosmia (loss of smell).

In Kashmir, the weather was taking a colder turn. The temperature dropped to around 18 degrees during the days and 10 degrees at night. The healthy diet and supplements helped me stay on the path to recovery.

My family would keep the food for me outside the room in disposable items in order to minimise contact. They would video call me twice or thrice a day so that I wouldn’t feel lonely in isolation. On October 14, my RT-PCR test came negative. The following CT scan results were reassuring too.

For a few more days, I continued to stay away from everyone at home and kept my mask on almost all the time. Even though my condition wasn’t too bad and at-home treatment was sufficient, my biggest fear was that my family members could get infected because of me. I was especially worried about my grandparents, who are already battling health issues.

I pray that all those who are suffering get recovered soon. I hope everyone remains safe.