Family of seven beat Covid-19 in Chattogram

"It felt as if my world turned bleak when I first came to know that all seven members of my family were infected by coronavirus. Everyone broke into tears when I first revealed it to the rest of my family members," Shamsul Alam told The Daily Star over phone after his family of seven recovered from Covid-19 following 11 days at a Chattogram hospital.

All seven returned home in Madarsha union of Satkania upazila on Thursday.

The family were infected after they attended a funeral on April 3 of a relative who had died with coronavirus symptoms, and whose test results came back positive for Covid-19 two days after the burial.

"We started feeling uneasy from April 15. As every member of our family was suffering from fever, cough and a runny nose, we decided to have our samples tested a few days later," Shamsul Alam said.

The results returned positive for all of them on April 25, he continued.

"My mother, my brother, his wife and son, my wife and son, and I were admitted to the Chattogram General Hospital in Andarkilla area, a dedicated Covid-19 treatment facility, on April 26."

Dr Asim Kumar Nath, supervisor of the hospital, told The Daily Star that the task of providing treatment to patients becomes easier when patients cooperate with doctors and nurses.

He said they observed when any Covid-19 patient is admitted, they fear that they would die soon.

"We first try to free them of the fear by motivating them to remain mentally strong."

Referring to the seven patients from the same family, Asim Kumar said, "They cooperated well and we treated them in line with national guidelines for Covid-19 treatment. We made sure they got the necessary hot water, providing them with an electric kettle. We tried to ensure the basic needs so that their stay in hospital became a bit comfortable."

Shamsul said they tried to remain calm, took ample rest and ate nutritious fruits and liquids and medicines administered at the hospital.

"We received very good treatment at the hospital, which led to our recovery," he said.

"I thank all doctors and nurses who extended their support and kept us motivated," Shamsul added.