COVID-19 positive nurse urges better nutritional meals for persons in isolation

By Lakhram Bhagirat

The immune system is referred to as the body’s defence force and in the battle against disease, having a healthy one is of paramount importance. In the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) era, it is very important to have a properly functioning immune system to remain healthy and fight the virus in the event one contracts it.

To maintain a healthy immune system, one must eat a well-balanced and nutritious diet along with regular exercise.
It is on that premise that Registered Nurse Rene Atkinson is calling for better meals to be served to patients battling COVID-19, particularly at the Diamond Isolation Facility – where Atkinson is also battling the disease.
“We are not getting the required nutrients and it is my main concern at the moment. The place is clean and well-maintained so that is not the problem. It is just that the stuff that they are providing is not ideal for anyone. There are people who are in here that are sicker than I am and their body needs the nutrition, but that cannot be accomplished with them serving us bread and sardines in the morning. The immune system needs to be strengthened to fight off this virus,” he related during a telephone interview with Guyana Times.
It is recommended that COVID-19 patients eat proper food, get exercise, and also consume fresh fruits since there is no specific treatment at this time for the virus. At the Diamond, East Bank Demerara facility, patients are served bread at least twice per day along with a lunch that consists of white rice and some stew.
Atkinson told this publication that since he was moved there, on Monday, April 13, he was not served any vitamin C pills nor fruits. Being a nurse for over five years have allowed him to understand how the immune system works and at this time he is wishing that more could be done for them.
“I have friends who would send stuff and I would ask them for vitamin C and fruits. Any fruits we get in here is what persons send for us and not from the Government. We know we can’t depend on the Government for everything, but there are people in here that have no family or can’t afford to get fruits. They need to do something better so we can beat this virus. I feel we should be treated a bit better than this,” the young man said.

Joining health profession
Atkinson hails from the Moruca Sub-District in Region One (Barima-Waini), but has been living in Georgetown for a number of years while being a nurse. He remembers while being a secondary school student, he was stung by a stingray and subsequently had an infected wound which caused him to be hospitalised for a few weeks. It was during his time at the hospital he was inspired by the level of care he received and made a decision to join the health profession.
After school, he taught for a while but never felt quite comfortable. However, when he joined the staff at the Hospital in Moruca, he felt “at home”. He would shortly venture to the Georgetown School of Nursing, where he successfully completed the three-year course and served several villages throughout Guyana.
The 26-year-old started working at a private medical facility just over a year ago and a few weeks ago he came into contact persons who were exposed to a patient who tested positive for COVID-19.
On April 3, when Atkinson left work, he developed a fever followed by an itch in his throat. It was from then he started developing a persistent headache with a fever. He called the COVID-19 hotline where they urged him to quarantine himself and monitor his symptoms and he did just that.
Between April 3 and 9, his symptoms increased to the point where he began feeling generalised weakness coupled with diarrhoea and joint pain.

Difficulty breathing
“I started to get severe joint pain which is like somebody beat you up, all your fingers and so paining…I kept hydrated, I got bed rest and took a lot of fluids and the herbal tea and so on. Saturday night (April 11) I started to experience shortness of breath and getting difficulty breathing. That took me through the whole night and I couldn’t sleep…I was in contact with the hotline every day and around 4 (04:00h) in the morning it started to get worse and I told them I was not getting to breathe properly, what should I do? Should I go to the hospital? Are you going to send somebody to evaluate me? However, they could not send anybody, because they did not have the resources at that time, so they told me if it continues then go to the hospital,” Atkinson recounted.
With difficulty breathing, Atkinson presented himself at the East Street entrance of the Georgetown Public Hospital where he related his prognosis. His vitals were recorded after which he was taken for an x-ray. He was swabbed and then went home. On Easter Monday, he received the results of his test which confirmed he was positive for COVID-19.
“It was positive, but by Monday I was already starting to feel better. I didn’t have the fever and I barely had the joint pain and that was when the coughing started. This dry cough. After I got the results, they told me that I needed to be isolated and I would be transferred to Diamond. They brought me here on Monday night and I have been recovering ever since,” he said.
Atkinson lived with two persons who both tested positive for the virus and are also in isolation. He noted that while he now only has a dry cough, he has been recovering.

Adhere to guidelines
“My main advice is to adhere to the guidelines and don’t socialise. You can socialise by video calls and chats but don’t go out unless you need to. Wear a mask and wash your hands on a regular basis. Don’t touch your face because prevention is better than cure. Do the right thing,” the nurse advised.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
The novel coronavirus 2019, which causes COVID-19, is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 that had not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.
The Public Health Ministry is calling on all citizens to heed the health advisories and observe the correct hygiene measures and precautions. Citizens are also asked to always practise social distancing in the workplace, public spaces, and while using public transportation so as to reduce the spread of the coronavirus diseases.
If anyone is experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, they are asked to call the hotline on 227-4986 ext 215 or 624-3067, and a team would be sent to their location. The Regional Hotline numbers are Region One (Barima-Waini) – 674-8047; Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) – 682-4210; Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) 254-1261, 254-0313; Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) – 231-1166, 226-7480, 624-6674, 624-3067; Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) – 624-9000, 624-2000, 640-3000; Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) – 682-3055, 668-4449; Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) – 675-9131, 654-0405, 697-0656; Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) – 608-7517, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) 772-2206; and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) – 444-3007, 444-6127, 444-6137.