East West
Omicron's disease..A personal experience
Dr..
Kamal Abdul Malik
June 17, 2022
I took the "Covid-19" test a few days ago... The result was overwhelming, followed by a call from the preventive medicine confirming the necessity of seclusion at home and staying away from others.
The first day was the worst. I felt shivering, pain in my joints, a burning sensation in my throat, with sore eyes and frequent headaches.
A completely unpleasant surprise for a person who adheres to all social distancing measures and the use of a muzzle.
Of course, I had to tell my friends and acquaintances of my illness so that they could take precautions, but the difficult question that insisted on me was: Should I tell my daughter who lives in Canada?
And what can she do when she is thousands of miles away from me?
As she surprised me that she and her husband had been infected with this “Omicron” for days, I had to tell her about my illness, and gather all my sense of fatherhood and all the love I had for her to relieve her, and encourage her to endure until she recovers from this epidemic.
I was giving her that support and what I needed.
Is it not strange that a father in the Emirates and his daughter in Canada contract the same epidemic at the same time?
As soon as some of my friends and acquaintances learned of my illness, messages of sympathy and wishes for recovery followed, and I saw them with tears in my eyes.
I did not feel that I was alone in this battle, as soon as I fell as a knight on my horse, my brothers and sisters rushed to my rescue, and I remembered verses that I had read when we were young: Your brother is your brother.
It is a battle, no doubt. Medical literature, the public press, and social media often refer to the “battle” against the coronavirus and health care workers as “heroes” on the “front lines” of the pandemic.
We read of "dressing" in personal protective equipment (PPE) before entering the patient's room, as if these flimsy garments were the protective shields required in the battle against a fierce enemy.
It's okay to use war metaphors in this case, although we recommend simple and direct language about diagnosis and treatment.
Communication between clinicians and patients, whether about “Covid-19” or any other disease, is complex, and language must be a means of building relationships and promoting understanding according to the varying levels of patient awareness.
Several days into my illness, I would say: If you are vaccinated and boosted, vaccines and boosters have the potential to limit the worst consequences of omicron and fight infection.
And let us pay attention to the instructions that come to us from our government here in the Emirates, and let us, citizens or residents, abide by them together. It is our civic duty towards our society to follow the health instructions of the Ministry of Health.
Every morning I watch from my window on the 15th floor in Ras Al Khaimah, the harbor and the open vegetable market and the birds that fly together and land on the ground to pick up the wheat grains that the sellers throw at them in the market.
The birds mingle freely, flying in unison, led by two lively birds, and then descending to pick up the grain and enjoy eating it.
I confess to you that I envy her and how not when I watch her with tired eyes, a sore throat, a congested nose, and a tongue on the verge of losing the gift of taste.
How lucky you are, little birds!
You roam free and you may have never heard of social distancing, wearing masks or spraying sanitizer.
Visiting Scholar at Harvard University
To read the previous articles of the writer please click on its name.
Days after my illness, I would say: If you are vaccinated and boosted, vaccines and boosters have the power to limit the worst consequences of omicron and fight infection.