Howie Severino patient 2828: COVID-19 survivor

COVID-19 survivor ang Kapuso broadcast journalist na si Howie Severino.

Bilang patient 2828, napagtagumpayan niya ang paglaban sa killer virus at aniya, hindi rin ito naging madali sa kanya at sa kanyang pamilya.

Inamin niyang may mga araw na hindi niya tiyak kung kakayanin pa niya. Malaking bagay raw ang suportang natanggap niya mula sa kanyang pamilya at mga kaibigan na kahit hindi siya nabibisita ay nagagawa pa rin siyang kumustahin at kausapin gamit ang teknolohiya. 

Buong-puso rin ang kanyang pasasalamat sa mga doktor, nurses, at iba pang frontliners na piniling samahan ang mga tulad niyang pasyente sa kanilang laban. 

Ngayon ngang isa siya sa mga sinuwerteng gumaling mula sa pandemic na ito, may responsibilidad nga raw siya, tulad ng kapwa niyang survivors, na ibahagi ang kanyang experience sa paraang mauunawaan nang husto ng publiko upang mabawasan ang takot at stigma na dala ng nasabing virus. 

Narito ang ilang bahagi ng pahayag ni Howie tungkol sa pinagdaanan niyang pagsubok dulot ng COVID-19. 

“After nine days in the hospital, a bout of pneumonia and a major scare, I think I can now be called a COVID-19 survivor.

“I am one of the lucky ones who have been able to go home, resume a semblance of my former life, and live to tell the tale.

“It’s a tale of long painful needles that couldn’t find a vein in my hands, the swabs down my throat that made me gag, the torture of long sleep deprivation, and the team of doctors who formed a Viber group to discuss updates on my case and the experimental drug chloroquine that worked on patients elsewhere and eventually worked on me.”

Pagpapatuloy pa ni Howie, “Transparency is an obligation. While there are good reasons to keep this condition under wraps — there are even privacy laws that can justify it — it’s not fair to anyone who has had close contact with you.

“For the greater good, we are required to disclose our COVID-19 status to the Department of Health. Contact tracing can go a long way in preventing its further spread.”

“When reaching out to COVID-19 patients, do so with more than get-well messages.

“Share family news, your playlists, jokes and memes, anything that can offer a respite from the constant reminders of our condition. We do not need more pity.”

“COVID-19 need not be a death sentence. I am living proof. A combination of good fortune, physical fitness and competent medical treatment probably saved my life.

“Don’t believe all the statistics. One false impression is that the fatalities outnumber the recoveries, artificially bloating the case fatality rate.

“The reality is many of the recoveries don’t get counted, while the deaths often make the news, adding to the overwhelming sense of dread. The odds of survival are pretty good.”