Recovered nurse shares COVID-19 experience

As a healthcare professional, nurse Mary (the name the Compass will use as she did not want her name published) had been closely following the global COVID-19 pandemic and was very familiar with what symptoms to look for and what to expect.

So, when she started coming down with a persistent fever and body aches while treating a patient who had begun exhibiting signs of the coronavirus, she knew her life and that of her colleagues at Health City Cayman Islands were about to change.

“We were worried. We were anxious because all around the world we were [seeing] that COVID is spreading,” she said in an interview with the Cayman Compass via Zoom over the weekend.

Mary was part of the medical team at the East End hospital treating the 68-year-old Italian cruise ship passenger last month who would later become Cayman’s first confirmed COVID-19 case.

For Mary and her colleagues, the patient’s test result only served to cement their initial suspicions when they noted a change in his condition.

“None of us were aware that he [had] COVID because we were treating him only for the heart condition … he’d had a heart attack. That’s why he was here and [we] treated him for that only reason. But later we suspected [he had COVID] because he had some respiratory symptoms,” she said.

The patient died due to complications related to the virus.

Mary and three of her colleagues contracted the virus from the patient.

According to the latest figures, released Monday, Cayman has 66 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of those, seven, including Mary and her colleagues, have recovered.

COVID-19 confirmation triggered immediate action

Mary said when she and other staffers at the hospital were confirmed as having the virus, because they had all been taught about coronavirus by Health City’s doctors and infection-control team, they were prepared for what lay ahead.

The hospital shut its doors to patients within hours of the confirmation and immediately isolated 30 members of staff.

Mary said her symptoms began manifesting two days before she received confirmation that she had the virus, though she remained hopeful that she had not been infected.

“I had some body aches and I had fever, but I didn’t think that I was positive for anything. I even had doubts that I might be positive,” she said.

At that point, the Italian patient had not yet been confirmed as positive, but Mary said the doctors at the hospital recommended she be isolated, which she did at home; she was never an in-patient at the hospital.

“I [remained] positive; I knew it was better for everyone because I should not give any infection to others as well. So, yeah, I was a bit anxious, but I was confident enough that it’s fine. If I’m treated well, then I will be better. I knew it,” she said.

“I was scared,” she admitted, as she recounted getting her results.

But, she said, she was assured by her colleagues’ response.

“Everyone was there to take care of me. So, slowly, I was recovering. I had assurance. I had to be cautious about it and all the time I was taken care of by them. And I had so many major precautions I had to take, still I have to take many precautions. I’m fine,” she said.

COVID-19 reality hits home

Although the interview was conducted via Zoom, Mary was still wearing her mask. She said she wears it all the time to protect others, even though she is fully recovered.

COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild to severe and has caused the deaths of thousands globally.

Mary said her symptoms veered between bouts of fever and body aches, but she didn’t experience much coughing or shortness of breath.

Even though she is a medical professional and knew what to expect, she said she nonetheless experienced moments of despair. “I was worried, but I was lucky enough to get healed and now I’m OK,” she said.

She has some words of advice for the community.

“I’ll say to be strong and not to lose hope. That’s the main thing … If we get depressed, that will hamper [recovery]. If you are sick, you should not be thinking all the negative things,” she said.

“We should be thinking, ‘I’m going to get help’, … [not] ‘No, I’m not getting better.’ … So, we have to keep hoping that, yes, ‘I’m going to get healed and all the treatment is going to work on me’,” she said.

Having overcome COVID-19, Mary has been left with a positive outlook on life and has returned to duty at the hospital.

She said, despite her experience, she remains committed to her oath to care for all patients equally and she stands ready, together with her colleagues, to help care for Cayman’s COVID-19 patients.

She said it is up to Cayman to help stop the spread of the virus and she urged the public to do its part.

“We have to follow all COVID protocols … Keep social distance, it is very necessary. It’s very hard, but we have to follow all the protocols that government is giving us. So that’s what I would say to the public, stay safe and stay home,” she said.