I am a recovered COVID-19 patient and I think we can beat this pandemic
By Klara-Maria Mach
I never imagined that I would get COVID-19 until one morning in early March, when I felt that my body was oddly… off. My mental state was as gloomy as the grey days of the long Swedish winter. Something was happening to me. I had a dreadful feeling of experiencing an illness that I did not recognize.
My husband Gustav had returned home to Uppsala, Sweden from a ski trip in the Austrian Alps a week before my symptoms started. Around that time, there was hardly any information about the coronavirus in the Swedish media, which gave us a false sense of security. Everything was too new to grasp and happening too fast to understand its severity.
The two days after my husband returned from Austria were completely normal. I went to work, trained in the gym, cooked meals — the usual stuff. But on the third day, my husband called me as soon as I arrived at the office. He couldn’t get out of bed, so I went home to take care of him. His fever was around 38° C, just enough to make him drowsy. I contacted our healthcare provider and after a round of back and forth calls, they tested him for COVID-19. The result was positive, so we immediately went into quarantine. I soon developed a cough and I got tested right away — a rare privilege, as I was going to find out.
When coronavirus came to Uppsala, healthcare providers would test people in high risk groups and those with symptoms, who had recently returned from trips in risk areas — at the time, China, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Singapore or Northern Italy. A week after my diagnosis, the authorities announced they’d only continue testing people in high risk groups including people over 60 or who are immunocompromised.
Lack of information led to my first YouTube channel
As I was waiting for my diagnosis, I started thinking about people in a similar situation, who were preparing to navigate an unknown disease. I had the virus — I knew that. It must be very hard to fight this infection with no one by your side, I thought.
And so, I started a YouTube channel (Swedish only) documenting my journey with COVID-19, hoping that it would comfort others and let them know they were not alone in sickness and anxiety. Soon after, a local newspaper contacted me for an interview. And in the weeks that followed, I would go from one TV interview to another, and ultimately become a frequent guest in the national broadcaster’s programs. But in the meantime, COVID-19 would put me through a hard test.
Life under the COVID-19 threat
I was the 19th confirmed case in Uppsala. My diagnosis gave me mixed feelings. It felt good to know what was causing my symptoms, but I was also worried over the growing number of fatalities reported in the international press. Would I defeat this? I was not a risk group patient, but we’d often read about healthy people succumbing to this novel virus. Seeing my husband recover quickly, after three days with moderate fever and hardly any coughing, was reassuring — I would most probably be well soon, I reasoned. I tried to stay positive, despite the uncertainty of what was coming to me.
The first seven days were hell. I found myself fighting a wrathful infection, which gave me high fever — over 40° C, sore muscles, and a violent cough, that would stick with me for more than a month. I developed lung problems, had difficulty breathing, and was dehydrated, despite drinking water all the time. I also lost my senses of smell and taste. On the seventh day, I had vivid hallucinations, which compounded my fear and anxiety about my condition. I was convinced I would die. I understood my mind was playing tricks on me, but my body wouldn’t react to any rational thoughts. The morning after my hallucinations, I was drained, but feeling better. Luckily, my husband and I had so-called mild cases and we were not hospitalized; however, I have never felt sicker.
Two peas in a coronavirus pod
COVID-19 can take a serious toll on an individual’s health, but it also impacts your personal relationships. To keep up the morale while in quarantine, my husband and I decided not to talk about the disease. During the days when we were both sick, we were mostly in bed, sleeping. Luckily, Gustav was able to resume his activities after ten days. Outside of my window, I watched life continue for others at its normal pace for 36 days.
My experience with the disease made me reevaluate my priorities and acknowledge the importance of not taking things for granted. As soon as quarantine ended, life started afresh with new perspectives. I loved being able to grocery shop, take walks, and feel functional again. My experience inspired me to contribute to COVID-19 research. My husband and I joined a study that tested the speed at which antibodies are formed after infection with the coronavirus. Given everything we had both been through, aiding the scientific efforts to combat this virus was natural.
Proud of my employer
Coming back to work — virtually, this time — was also pure joy. I work for Cytiva, a biotechnology company that makes enabling technologies for the manufacture of biopharmaceutical drugs. My employer supports many initiatives to fight coronavirus by delivering products for research and candidate vaccines. In May, Cytiva entered into a collaboration with Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, the Royal Institute of Technology, and SciLifeLab to test around 1,500 employees on coronavirus infection and antibodies. For me, having had such a close experience with the disease, this was remarkable.
If you are afraid of COVID-19 or if you have it — this is what you need to do
With so little known about the coronavirus, it’s critical to follow the advice of our local and regional health authorities However, we must also be careful that we do not create or spread fear. For those of you who are ill, I would like to say don’t give up. Try to think positively — chances are that you will recover. Do not give up hope, rest and try to stay hydrated. And when you get healthy, do contribute to the research, in one way or another — and together we will defeat this.
