Ahmedabad: For Japesh Jain, 49, a resident of Bopal, life took a turn for the worst in the last week of April 2021 when he got a Covid infection. "I got discharged in Sep after nearly five months. I was on a ventilator for about three and a half months. It was a difficult time as I did not know what the future held for me," recounts Jain, an IT professional. "My job was affected for nearly one and a half years, but my employers supported me. For a long time, my home had oxygen cylinders. After all these years, I am breathing easy, but with caution."
On March 19, 2020, Gujarat recorded its first two confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections. Soon after, the state and India at large witnessed a series of lockdowns, and life was never the same for many. As the pandemic's first wave completes five years, TOI talked to those who surmounted the most difficult of circumstances.
For example, Himadri Suthar, 40, a resident of Nikol, was in a coma for 21 days during the second wave. "I was hospitalised for 89 days. Almost all my internal organs were affected. The steroids took a toll on me. I also lost my hair. It took me a long time to recover completely. But today, I am thankful for what I have," says Suthar.
Dr Manoj Singh, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist from Ahmedabad, said that rehabilitation was a long process for many Covid patients. "Some even had long-Covid conditions, but the majority have made a good recovery," he said.
It was divine blessings coupled with doctors' hard work that brought him back from the brink, believes Mahendra Desai, 65, secretary of Majoor Mahajan Sangh. "I was on ventilator for over 20 days and had an even longer stay in the ICU afterwards. At one point, I was advised to go for a transplant as my lung function had reduced drastically. Today it seems like a distant past," he said.
Dr Tushar Patel, a pulmonologist from the city, said that the pandemic affected many adversely, but their tales of resilience gave hope to many others. "Even today, we sometimes get patients with a history of severe Covid, but now the fear of infection is gone," he said.