TRACKING___Dr Amara Allison, the medical practitioner who detected Nigeria’s index case of the novel virus on February 27, has shared her experience during the 14-day quarantine period she had to observe having been exposed to the 44-year-old Italian man.
Allison, who was on duty on that day at a medical centre in Ewekoro area of Ogun State, had ordered that the Italian be isolated upon examination.
The patient had turned up with flu-like symptoms but Allison had just diagnosed Nigeria’s first COVID-19 patient.
The doctor alongside four health workers and 35 other people, who had been in contact with the Italian, were later placed on a two-week mandatory quarantine, according to the protocols of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Allison said she busied herself studying, watching movies and engaging in physical exercises during her quarantine period, adding that her family was a pillar of support for her.
Sharing her experience with the World Health Organisation African Region team, she said, “I woke up on day three, and I just couldn’t get out of bed. That was the day the protective shock wore off. I was now unavoidably afraid. This point was where I realized the importance of a support system.
“Luckily my family didn’t fall short. They called to reassure me and in some way themselves.
“The psychological trauma was my greatest challenge, just being with my thoughts alone for 14 days, good, bad, ugly. I also had to deal with the accompanying boredom and missing real human contact. It hit me really badly because aside from all that was going on, I’m a very physically active person and I couldn’t be that during this period.
“However, it wasn’t all fear if I’m being honest. The quarantine period also gave me time to self-develop as much as possible (through online courses) which was also a very welcome form of distraction.”
She said her organisation sent in psychologist to check on all those quarantined, adding that the WHO team in Nigeria also supported her.
“By my fifth day in, I learned to dispel my boredom and persistent anxiety with movies and books. I’m a fitness enthusiast and as difficult as it was for me to muster the mental energy to workout, whenever I did eventually workout, it lifted my mood significantly and left me feeling healthier.
“ Having several means of entertainment would remedy these to an extent. The power of a good support system cannot be over-emphasised, but overall maintaining a positive outlook as much as possible is imperative to getting through any quarantine period,” she said.
