Durban - A Mariannridge ward councillor who spent 13 days in ICU on a ventilator after contracting Covid-19 said he had to fight to stay alive.
Reginald Cloete, 49, said he was struggling to breathe when admitted to hospital on July 16 and was immediately taken to ICU to be supported by a machine.
He battled with extreme tiredness, loss of appetite, congestion, headaches, body aches and sweats and sinus problems.
“This was coupled with strained breathing and a cough that sounded like I was a lifelong smoker.”
Being unable to breathe on his own for 13 days in ICU was “the worst experience of my life”.
“I would wake up gasping for air as if I had just received a swift punch to the gut followed by a crushing sensation as if someone was sitting on my chest.”
As a result, he was afraid to sleep because he feared he would die. “I was fighting for my life.”
Cloete said in total he spent 16 days in hospital. “I have never had so much pain in my life; the pain you suffer being alone, and you know that there is no solution.”
He was discharged from hospital on Friday last week, and said he had taken all necessary precautions before contracting Covid-19.
“I wore my mask, carried my sanitiser everywhere I went, and followed each health precaution, yet I still tested Covid-19-positive.”
He said many people were still in denial about the virus.
“We need to be responsible and do what is right. Denial is ruling many people; we need to be careful and wash our hands, sanitise and wear those masks.”
He advised the public to listen to and respect the government.
“When the president put this country on lockdown we had a very low number of cases, and if people listened we would have flattened the curve by now.”
He warned that people who have recovered from Covid-19 could again contract it.
Earlier this week, Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize said the pattern of people getting infected twice was a new phenomenon.
“We have said that our researchers must try and track them (those reinfected) so that we can compare with what’s happening in the world and also find out whether there are any lessons that you can get out of that process,” said Mkhize.
The Mercury