Cape Town – With almost 10 million people worldwide infected with the novel coronavirus and about 485 000 related deaths on record, no country has been spared the devastating effects of Covid-19.
Candice Walker, who works as a front-line worker at the triage desk at a Cape Town hospital, said she started experiencing flu-like symptoms on Tuesday, May 25, but shrugged them off as basic flu.
The 34-year-old from Retreat, Cape Town, had gone in to work that morning not knowing how she managed to drive herself there, and complained to her colleagues that she wasn’t feeling well.
Candice says every morning when the staff arrive at work, they are screened for coronavirus symptoms. She failed her screening on Wednesday morning as well as on Thursday and Friday, displaying a high temperature.
“I knew something was wrong with my body because I couldn't even taste and smell," she says.
She was in great pain, including terrible headaches, Candice says.
On May 29, her trauma unit manager advised her to get tested for the coronavirus. All the staff who were tested were then sent home and told to self-isolate until they had received their results.
Candice says that on May 30 she was in bed all morning and the symptoms seemed to be growing worse.
“After seven that evening, I started struggling to breathe. My husband had wanted to take me to hospital the entire day, but because I hadn’t received my Covid-19 results yet, I couldn't just walk into a hospital,” she explains.
Her husband then called Life Kingsbury Hospital to ask if he could bring her in.
According to Candice, the doctor advised her to undergo another Covid-19 test and she was prescribed a raft of medication for the flu-like symptoms.
“On Sunday, May 31, I was feeling great. That was my best morning ever, I was really feeling good,” says Candice.
“I was making food and as I was preparing the onions in the pot. I couldn’t smell anything, which I found really strange.”
That same day she received the dreaded call from the hospital.
“The doctor explained that I had tested positive for Covid-19 and that I would need to self-isolate at home or be moved to a facility where I could isolate.
“I was in a state because I’m married with two kids, aged 7 and 14, and I have a woman that is over 60 years old that takes care of my kids. I was worried and didn’t know what to expect.”
Candice says her husband immediately rushed to get tested. He received his results two days later, which showed he was also positive for Covid-19.
“Not even an hour later after I received the call from the hospital informing me about my positive diagnosis, the ambulance arrived at my house,” she recalls.
Candice began her isolation period from that Sunday at an undisclosed location in Cape Town.
“It was hectic. It was very difficult on Sunday because everything happened so quickly. I barely had time to explain to everybody, let alone my kids, about what was happening, especially about where I was going,” says Candice.
“We all read in the newspaper about people dying of this virus and that was the first thing that came to mind, is that I wasn’t going to make it.”
Candice arrived at the quarantine facility and was placed in a room with another woman.
Upon her arrival, Candice told the health workers that she was afraid to infect the young lady who was with her in the room, but she later found out that the woman had also tested positive for Covid-19. Candice says she got along really well with the young lady.
“I couldn’t eat, my body was paining, I couldn’t taste or smell, I had terrible headaches and my throat was on fire. I had this burning sensation in my throat,” says Candice.
“I wanted to eat, I was so hungry, but I couldn’t get anything down. I was worried about my family back at home.”
On Monday, June 1, Candice received a call from her husband, informing her that the children were also getting sick at home.
“I actually wanted to leave the facility and take care of my kids at home,” she says.
According to Candice, the children were displaying similar flu-like symptoms, but all her husband could do was rub them down with healing ointment and give them vitamins.
On Tuesday, June 2, Candice told herself that if the children's condition worsened, she would leave the quarantine facility to take care of them.
“During my time in quarantine, I had a lot of time to do a lot of thinking.
“I received so many messages of motivation from people and I read every single one of them. I was praying to God saying, you can’t have me Lord, my kids are sick.”
She says she felt as though she was failing them as a mother.
Candice says after her husband tested positive, the plan was that he join her at the same quarantine facility, but at this point the children were too ill.
He decided to self-isolate in a bedroom while another family member who stays with them looked after the children.
Candice says she is so grateful to the people who drove past her house and dropped off food and vitamins for the children while she was in quarantine.
Meanwhile, by that point, the entire household was showing symptoms of the coronavirus.
Candice says, however, that she and her husband decided not to have the children tested, because she didn’t them to leave home and be exposed to the virus. Furthermore, the test is painful and she did not want her children to go through it without her.
By this time, Candice wasn’t doing too well at the quarantine facility. She continued to battle to breathe; however, she was not prepared to be transferred to a hospital and get put on a ventilator.
“At the facility, even the people that work there are scared of us. They will just knock on your door and drop off the food and run away,” she says.
“Being in quarantine, you stay in your room all day. I did a lot of thinking, but one thing I can say, when you’re really down and out, God is always there."
She adds: “I thought to myself, I was the one that followed all the rules. I was so cautious and never thought that Covid-19 would hit me and my family like this.”
Candice has called on everyone to put themselves in her shoes and the shoes of every other Covid-19 survivor.
“Our biggest fear walking out of quarantine is what people are going to say and think about us. How are people going to react around us?
“I told my daughter mommy got sick not because I did anything wrong. Out of my whole department, I was the only one that tested positive.”
Candice says she started questioning God, but remembers fondly a message she received from someone who said that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.
“When I walked into the quarantine facility, I didn’t think I would walk out of here."
“Yes, I also also received negative messages from people," she adds. “'Het jy gehoor Candice is positive?” (Did you hear Candice is positive?). I ignored these messages and didn’t respond to them because I realised only once Covid-19 hits your family, many will understand."
“I ask the community out there to have mercy on those that are in isolation. When we come out, don’t judge us, don’t be scared of us.
“We are thoroughly tested when we leave here, and we are not infectious.”