Covid19 Survivor: Yuri Ribeiro

When you get hospitalized due to Covid19, it does become the toughest and the most difficult time for many. It is a situation they have never experienced before where while dealing with the discomfort from the symptoms, they also have to experience isolation and uncertainty of the entire situation. Many cannot stomach the thought of infecting their family members and other loved ones and just the thought of that possibility stresses them out even more.

Yes! Covid19 is a deadly virus and it is getting deadlier by the minute with its quick capability to mutate. We should not stop practicing Covid19 appropriate behaviors which we have been constantly reminded of by health officials and the WHO. There are many who succumb to the virus but at the same time, we do see a ray of hope with many survivor stories. Today we learn about another survivor story from Goa of Yuri Ribeiro. He has come out of the horrific situation he was in with more resolve and compassion. Yuri shares his journey of defeating the Coronavirus below.

Were you symptomatic or an asymptomatic Covid-19 patient? What were the symptoms you experienced?

I was symptomatic. I got tested because a friend’s kid had tested positive for Covid19. I got my whole family, from my semi-paralyzed mom to my wife and kid, tested at the government health center in Goa. Our results came back negative. But soon I started feeling very tired and fatigued. The next symptom was a scratchy throat followed by fever. As soon as the first day of fever kicked in, we all got tested again and I was positive. Everyone else luckily tested negative.

Did you undergo home isolation or were you hospitalized? 

After my second test came positive, I went into home isolation.

How did you go about the process and how was the experience?

Everyone from my house moved out. I tested positive on Saturday and on Sunday visited Goa Medical College in Bambolim. I did my CT scan and the doctors there were very thorough and precise. My CT scan showed 2/20 which is why I was advised home isolation. On Monday my brother-in-law had me registered, got my kit with an oximeter and my paperwork in place to keep the government doctors updated about my numbers. The process was fast and easy.

What are the DO’S and Dont’s someone must keep in mind when they test positive for Covid-19?

Do’s

• Wear a mask and in today’s situation, I advise people to wear a double mask.
• Be strong throughout the process and there is no natural selection going on.
• Stay positive once you are at the hospital. You will hear people screaming and you will hear moans.
• Drink warm water all the time.
• Take your vitamins even once you get the virus. 

Dont’s

• Don’t Go Out! when you have the virus. I can’t stress on this enough.
• Don’t take the fever lightly.
• Don’t blame the government or the doctors. The onus is on us to take care of ourselves.

How did you feel when you were infected and what has this whole experience taught you?

When I tested positive, I hit the 99.5 mark with fever and I believed that I could fight this. But then 3 days in a row, my fever touched the 103.5 mark. It takes a toll on you. The breaking of fever is not there at all. You come down to 100 and you may start to think that you are feeling better but actually, the fever has not gone. It drains you emotionally. I literally wrote my obituary and said goodbye to my wife. She, however, did not give up and kept the faith. She got me into an ambulance and I reached the South Goa District Hospital. I remember seeing people who were in a serious condition as compared to mine but were stronger than me. At the hospital I thought to myself, How will I survive? That person who showed strength succumbed to the virus by the next evening. But I was still alive, lying on the mattress on the floor with a burning fever. The experience changed me mentally. Now, after recovering, there are times when I still feel that I am in the hospital and I also sometimes hear the gasping for air. The entire experienced scared me and taught me that I need to change how I look at life going forward. I thanked everybody who stood by me, including the doctor and nurses when I walked out of SGDH.

Do you have a survivor story to share with the world? Send us an email at contact.goaninsider@gmail.com