Klaipėda residents with coronavirus call their experiences a nightmare: walking was difficult, memory was damaged

Tamara and other infected or recovered people interviewed by Western Express avoid revealing their names for fear of negative public reactions. “An opinion is formed as if the patient were to blame for getting sick,” shared Agnė, who has already recovered from COVID-19. By the way, she even had 5 weeks to fight the virus.

Although the three-month quarantine in Lithuania for the threat of spread of COVID-19 ended on June 16, the state-level emergency regime has yet to be lifted. With the recent increase in coronavirus infections, the situation is changing very frequently due to various restrictions, the use of masks and the possibility of entering or leaving certain countries.

However, while all recommendations and restrictions are in place for human security, there is a growing perception on social media of opinions and various conspiracy theories that COVID-19 does not exist and that authorities are misleading people to achieve your political goals and control people.

This type of opinion is probably due to the fact that the National Center for Public Health publishes the number of patients daily, but it is not clear who is so ill. And patients themselves often try to hide their identity for fear of negative public reactions.

It also affects young people

Tamara and her boyfriend, a foreign student studying in Klaipėda, were diagnosed with a coronavirus. They are currently isolated in a rented apartment in Klaipeda. The girl agreed to share the symptoms of the disease, the course and what had to happen with the COVID-19 virus with the readers of the Western Express.

The student believes that she may have contracted the virus during the trip when she traveled from Ukraine to Lithuania. She said she spent the whole summer at home and did not go to public places. She spent time at home not only because she was afraid of contracting coronavirus, but also because she was taking care of an elderly grandmother.

“My brother brought me to Kiev, so the only place he could get infected was Kiev and the bus I took to Lithuania. When I was traveling I was so tired that I even forgot about the virus, that I had to disinfect my hands, not touch my face with them, and I could have been a lot more careful… ”Tamara thought.

At this point, Tamara’s boy feels pain in his joints and muscles, the couple no longer feel neither taste nor smell. According to the girl, they can no longer even smell essential oils that actually have a pungent smell. Tamara also suffers from sore gums.

Help with good emotions

When you get a positive COVID-19 test, it affects your emotional state more. The patient, who only hears negative news on social media, begins to expect the worst. However, according to Tamara, this should not be thought about.

“I feel so tired, sad. At night, the symptoms of the disease get worse, then I feel particularly bad. By the way, if I feel good emotionally, I feel good physically, and if the emotional state worsens, the symptoms get worse. Therefore, it is important to remain optimistic even when I am sick, ”student Tamara smiled.

Many people with COVID-19 complain of loss of smells and tastes and, as we know, taste and food are two inseparable elements. When the taste wears off, the food also becomes useless.

“The mood is further spoiled by the fact that I eat and do not taste the food. As a result, I don’t even want to eat more because every bite is sad. I remember what it must taste like and I don’t feel it in my mouth … It’s not the best feeling in the world. It seems like I’m not here, like I’m physically somewhere else, ”sighed student Tamara.

There was a lack of medical understanding

There is no specific treatment for COVID-19 yet, but drug combinations are being closely monitored for patients and efforts are being made to develop a vaccine. Until the drug is discovered in infected people, symptomatic treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oxygen therapy, and in case of respiratory failure, the patient is subjected to artificial ventilation.

“There are no drugs that can help with the coronavirus, we can only alleviate the symptoms. We are currently resting, eating and drinking water. The only thing that can help us is time, ”said the girl.

Coronavirus patients can be completely cured, depending on their medical condition and when treatment begins. The European Medicines Agency is currently working with the World Health Organization to find effective antiviral medicines and their combinations.

Tamara, who suffers from coronavirus, said she had been reprimanded for waiting to consult doctors about the disease and had not been able to call the hospital.

“She had a doctor’s number, which she was registered with, but when I called, they just criticized me. Supposedly I’m not registered with her, I don’t have health insurance and things like that, and she had everything. In the end, she gave me the number. from another doctor, but did not respond “, just shared the student Tamara.

Patients with mild symptoms of coronavirus infection who have been cleared by a physician for outpatient treatment must adhere to all isolation rules until they have received confirmation of recovery. This will only be recognized if, after two consecutive tests with an interval of at least 24 hours, negative results are obtained both times.

Defeated coronavirus

Agnė from Klaipėda, upon returning from a trip abroad, felt the symptoms of COVID-19 and discovered that she was infected. She said that she initially felt only general weakness, pain in the muscles of the body, especially in the lower back, but later developed a fever, a strong cough, and shortness of breath.

“My general state during the illness was moderate, I could only go to the next room, it was difficult to have something to drink, I did not want to eat anything. I just wanted to stay in bed, ”Agnė said.

The woman said the coronavirus took up to 5 weeks to overcome, and the COVID-19 test was positive for up to 56 days.

During the first three weeks, she felt extremely unwell, only then did the condition gradually improve, then her appetite developed and she was able to walk.

“When their health was bad, isolation didn’t cause them any problems because they didn’t want to do anything. As the situation improved, the desire to go shopping, take a walk, interact with people arose. However, he did not want to go back to work at all, because he simply lacked physical strength. I felt weak, it was hard for me to concentrate, my memory was impaired ”, the woman shared her experience.

The woman said that she was very upset during the illness by the negative reaction of the public towards the sick, as if they were lepers. She said she understood why people are hiding and not saying publicly that they have coronavirus.

“What bothered me the most and caused me was not a worse physical health, but the uncertainty about the future, the ignorance of the disease, the ignorance of doctors about how to act in case of illness, what was the perspective of the disease and which ones could be the consequences. Negative public reaction to the sick, negative information from the media, from the authorities, an attempt to kick you out of the public circle. An opinion was formed as if the patient was guilty of getting sick, ”Agnė shared her thoughts.

Agnė assured that he would not want anyone to contract coronavirus, and recalled that everyone must be careful with the protection measures offered by the World Health Organization.

The situation in Klaipeda

Currently, 9 people with coronavirus are being treated at the Klaipeda University Hospital. The hospital’s chief physician, Vinsas Janušonis, testified that he noticed a trend that COVID-19 infection also affects large numbers of young people in the port city.

“One of those 9 cases is a very serious 25-year-old foreign patient. Lately we have had two 16-year-olds, so it can be said that the infection has “rejuvenated a bit”, but here it is probably due to imported cases, “Janušonis said.

The prevailing opinion in society is that coronavirus is dangerous only for the elderly, but, according to V. Janušonis, there is no way for a young person to be resistant to the virus.

“The biggest problem is that people don’t follow the recommendations. After the first wave, he was so relaxed that he began to be fearless, no longer wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly, ”said V. Janušonis.

According to him, the reserve of security measures at the Klaipeda University Hospital accumulates for two months. Tenders have already been announced and contracts have been signed for the additional acquisition of the instruments. But the biggest problem is finances.

“As of July 1, we buy the security measures ourselves, nobody finances them. Our institution needs around 20 thousand per day. only for basic safeguards. We consume 10,000 a day. pairs of disposable gloves, ”said the chief. doctor.