Home quarantine precipitates fear, extreme caution

For one 24-year-old Chennaiite in-home quarantine, the experience is one of extreme caution. While she does take all the precautions – using and washing her own plate and bottles and not leaving her room for anything at all – being in her room, away from her family, is difficult for her emotionally.

“It was Ganesh Chaturthi recently and I couldn’t celebrate with my family. The mood in the house was too sombre because everyone was afraid. While I do feel better, it’s still a constant fear in the back of my head. My father is immunocompromised, so there’s always a fear in the back of my head that he might catch it despite my precautions,” she said.

The unpredictable nature of the disease also causes fear, not only among non-medical personnel but also medical professionals. According to Dr Arvind Santosh, a junior resident who tested positive for COVID-19 in July, the main concern for him was whether he would recover or not.

“As doctors, we see the condition right before our eyes every day. One day, we see a patient without comorbidities who was recovering, and four days later, they pass away. We know first-hand how unpredictable the disease is. So, I was worried about my recovery,” he said.

He added that even while at home, he spoke to his parents on the phone instead of seeing them in-person. All his interactions with his parents were distant and erred on the side of caution, and that made him feel as though he was miles away from them, despite them just being in the other room.

“I will take another swab test once my quarantine is over, but I intend on staying in quarantine for longer, just for my father. I don’t want to take that risk due to his age and his health. It’s a constant state of fear in your own home, which is deeply unsettling,” said the 24-year-old patient.

Dr Santosh mirrored the sentiment, stating that medical tests always have a small scope of error. For him, recovery was a bittersweet experience, for he must return to the hospital again, where he will be exposed again.