Fevers, bouts of nausea, body aches, the stigma of being tested positive and the loneliness of an isolation ward are just some of the things a COVID-19 patient needs to deal with, said Hong Kong-based make-up artist and entrepreneur Natasha Moor who is currently fighting the infection. Last week, she took to Instagram to explain how she fell sick after a trip to London, and what’s it like to be quarantined in the hospital. She told ELLE, “I had a sore throat, body aches, nausea and felt feverish. I decided to rest for some time but woke up at 3pm the next day, which is unusual for me—I immediately got myself tested that day.”
View this post on Instagram
While travelling, Moor was wary and took all the precautions. “I was sanitizing everything, wherever I sat. I was being careful to the point where other travellers were making fun of me.” After testing positive, she was placed in isolation at the hospital in Hong Kong. “The thought of being alone is terrifying, especially since you don’t know if you’re going to come out of this healthy.”
Luckily, the doctors caught the virus in the early stages and she has now been moved from solitary confinement but is still in the hospital. “The cases in Hong Kong are rising and there isn’t enough place in hospitals so people are being put in rooms and separated by curtains,” she explains.
View this post on Instagram
“Some of the biggest misconceptions about the infection are that you can only catch it if someone coughs at you or if you’re unhygienic,” she says. “According to doctors here, there is no way of knowing exactly how the virus gets transmitted. The only thing to do is to wash your hands as much as possible.” Fighting the infection takes a toll on your physical as well as mental health, and Moor is getting through this tough time by listing out things she’d like to do once she recovers. “Trying to be positive is easier said than done. Some other people I know, who have been infected, often break down into tears because they don’t know how it is going to turn out in the long run. I just urge everyone to stay indoors and self-quarantine because this is the last thing you want for anyone you love.”
