Visakhapatnam : Say no to outside food says Covid warrior PSVN Gopal

Visakhapatnam : "It is said that there is a women behind the success of a man. In my case it was proved once again as it was my wife Sarada Devi who provided me the much-required emotional support to overcome the gripping fear. She told me that nothing is going to happen to me, and I will recover soon from the infection," shares Covid warrior PSVN Gopal.

Be careful and avoid outside food. Take protein-rich food in addition to non-vegetarian dishes, fresh fruits and dry fruits, wear mask properly sanitise your hands frequently, to keep the virus at bay, suggests the Covid warrior.

Gopal, an employee of Visakhapatnam steel plant has sweet tooth and has been binging on them for a week not knowing that it could lead to cough. When he thought the cough is due to his dessert indulgence, running nose added to his inconvenience.

Though the cough and running nose subsided with a few tablets prescribed by the doctor two days later, they were followed by fever and fatigue. "That's when the alarm bells began to ring. But when I got tested for the virus along with my wife, my wife was in safe zone but my results showed positive," narrates the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant employee.

Unable to digest the fact, Gopal felt depressed. "In VSP, it's a horrible situation as many of the employees and the people known to me have succumbed to the virus. So, I was in a state of shock for a while when I came to know that I tested positive for the virus," explains Gopal, who works as a general foreman at VSP.

The next day, Gopal's son P Charan, a B.Tech first year student, lost his sense of taste and smell. "He too got tested positive for coronavirus. Fortunately, we have three separate bath-attached rooms in our house and hence we started isolating ourselves at home," explains Gopal. It was at this stage when his wife gave him necessary morale booster.

Though the father and son were in touch with their family doctor at periodic intervals, practicing yoga and pranayama along with medication helped them recover from the virus quickly.

Earlier, non-vegetarian food used to be a weekly-once affair for the family.

But now, along with the protein-rich food it has become a part of the menu almost five days a week. Since we made sure of consuming healthy meals, we could beat the virus in two weeks," says Gopal.

Another important regimen the family members followed was to stay disconnected from depressive news when they were unwell.

"News channels were totally disconnected. Apart from connecting with friends, comedy skits and other fun-filled shows that made us laugh were watched. For most of us, the fight is more against the fear rather than the virus itself," adds Gopal.