Thread by @CFLlightSabers

Thread:
THE CASE OF "MAYBE CORONA"
I have isolated myself over the last 7 days, haven't left my house, have been washing my hands more than necessary. But I've had mild symptoms over the last five days (1/n)

(2/n) On Saturday, I started having a fever, nothing to worry - under 99.5F; dry cough; diarrhea; headache. All of this spread over 5 days.

(3/n) I haven't left the city in months; I haven't come in contact with anyone who has left the country. And here I was today with fever going up to a 100F and my head throbbing.

(4/n) I decided to call the Tamil Nadu Government's Corona Helpline. I gave the person on the call a breakdown of my symptoms but was soon met with the usual "have you travelled anywhere or have you come in contact with someone...?"

(5/n) He then proceeded to tell me that there's no way I have Corona because my travel history or my symptoms don't match and there's no way I could've caught the virus.

(6/n) I asked if community transmission could've been the reason I got it which he quickly dismissed saying that there's hardly anything going on here. He told me I should go to a regular doctor and get a consultation for whatever it is I've.

(7/n) I asked him if the taskforce that's planning to go around Chennai on foot and test would test me, but he denied the existence of a taskforce and asked me to stop believing in WhatsApp forwards.

(8/n) Unsure, I decided to wait. But a few hours in, my fever started to get worse and my head kept pounding. Having been absolutely critical of the government's complacency until now, my sick brain decided to take the Helpline man's word and go see a doctor cause it's NOT CORONA

(9/n) Having not left the house for a week, I go to the nearest hospital which was surprisingly not crowded at all. Made sure I stayed away from everybody I met until I got to the doctor.

(10/n) The general physician at the hospital asked for my symptoms and I gave him a day-wise breakdown. 2 minutes in, he says "This has to be Corona, mild though. Nothing else matches the symptoms you have"

(11/n) I tell him about the conversation I had with the Helpline to which he responded "The Government's lying. They don't want to show the real numbers. Are you really telling me that only 2 people have been affected so far? Bullshit"

(12/n) He wrote me a prescription for a paracetamol and antibiotic, and asked me to not leave the house for a week and that I'll be fine.

(13/n) Having been following our state Government's action and inaction, if community transmission isn't underway and I have no travel history, how did I get the virus?

(14/n) I'll not no for sure unless I get myself tested. But with the limited number of test kits and a lack of travel history, there's no way they'd test me and I don't think it's fair of me to even ask for a test at this point.

(15/n) I'm sure I'll be fine in a week; data is all I've to rely on. But this case of MAYBE CORONA will torment a lot of people in the coming weeks.

(16/n) I really urge all of you to take social distancing and isolation as seriously as you can because only an asymptomatic carrier could've given me this (if I do have it that is)

(17/n) I really really hope the government starts testing testing testing testing more people and slow down exponential growth.

(18/18) End of Maybe Corona.

Okay. Wow. This blew up. Clarifications: I may or may not have the virus. I'll never know for sure unless I get tested. I only wrote this thread in the hope that people entertain the possiblity that community transmission exists and has been underway for a few weeks now.

And had I listened to the Helpline worker and gone about my day like I don't have Covid19, possibly spreading it to many other people - a hypothetical that is playing out in the state right now.

Thank you for all your support. I'm sure I'll get better. Symptoms have been quite manageable so far. Now that I've your attention, here are some things for you to read - science.thewire.in/health/coronav…

scroll.in/article/956385…

With accessibly to all forms of information, I still panicked, and the nature of it is still uncertain. Just imagine.
buzzfeednews.com/amphtml/pranav…

I understand that no doctor can correctly diagnose a virus without a test, especially one that shares symptoms with flu, common cold, etc. But the fact that I could have it and our government's helpline has been anything but is worrying. And I'm sure I'm not alone on this.

UPDATE: I got a follow-up call from the TN helpline (104). It was to check if I had gotten the necessary information I was looking for. I gave the person an update since yesterday's call and how a private doctor had diagnosed me with Corona despite their helpline saying otherwise

I also mentioned that I hadn't been tested yet. After multiple call transfers and holding online for a few minutes, another operator asked me what I was looking for - he had no context. I brought him upto speed, highlighting that it was them who had called back and not me.

He asked me what the private doctor had advised me to do. I told him about the the GP's advice to self-isolate. The helpline operator agreed and asked me to just follow the doctor's advice and if I wanted to be sure, go get myself tested.
END OF UPDATE.