By Arpana Adhikari
Kathmandu, Oct. 4: As the biggest festival of Dashain is approaching, people have been thronging nearby markets in Kathmandu Valley to do their festival shopping.
But surprisingly a large number of people are still seen roaming around without wearing masks and ignoring social distancing in markets and other public places, without giving a hoot to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the valley.
Many visitors at markets, shopkeepers and vendors are usually seen either without masks or hanging their masks around their neck or chin instead of wearing it in a proper manner. People are still found organizing birthday parties and celebrations, ignoring health protocols.
There is still a large group of population in the country, who isn’t taking the threat of the pandemic seriously. We have heard their argument, “I am strong, healthy and young. So I don’t need to worry about getting serious illness from COVID-19.”
They think this is their individual freedom of choice and what they are doing only affects themselves. But they should rethink that what is choice for them may pose a threat to their family, friends and community.
The country has already recorded death of as young as two-year-old girl from COVID-19 and also some fitness freaks and those without underlying health issues. Nepal has also reported first COVID-19 death of a medical doctor.
For those who are not taking the pandemic seriously should definitely hear the harrowing experience of bereaved families, who have lost loved ones and survivors who have experienced a roller-coaster of severe symptoms of COVID-19.
Even after 40 days, Likhit Shrestha, a local of Chandol, is still grieving his father’s death, who succumbed to COVID-19. He shared how he lost his father in just five days after he tested positive for the virus.
In mid-August, Shrestha and his five family members, including himself, his parents, son and brother, tested COVID positive.
Expressing his anger to those who had suggested him and his family to stay in home isolation, including doctors, he said “Staying in home isolation is definitely not a good idea, especially if the patients are elderly.”
After staying in home isolation for two days, suddenly his parents experienced breathlessness. They were both rushed to COVID dedicated hospital in Patan. “I still shiver when I recall the day.”
“Within five days since my father tested positive for the virus, he lost his battle against it. My mother had also developed serious illness and she was given a medicine called Remdesivir, which luckily saved her life.”
“We have no idea how he had contracted the virus. It was definitely us who transmitted the virus because my parents have been staying indoors for long. 

I still regret that if we had taken the pandemic seriously and had taken him to the hospital earlier, then I would have my father by my side,” he sobbed
More than that what breaks him more is being denied to perform the funeral of his father which he thinks is injustice.
“COVID-19 is not a joke. I don’t want others to suffer the same pain,” he says, his voice wobbling.
Ranjan Kumar Dahal, associate professor at Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Geology Kritipur, recently shared his real-life experience of fighting the virus and the road to recovery during the Health Ministry’s regular press-briefing on COVID-19.
Dahal, who was critically ill, spent 18 days in hospital, including 13 days in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), to beat the virus.
Taking to his Facebook account, Dahal shared his picture while he was in ICU and writes, “I had a near-death experience. This is my second life. So I urge everyone not to take COVID-19 as lightly as common flu.”
Anjil Adhikari, a local of Kaushaltar, also shared his 45-day long struggle against coronavirus.
“It was such a painful time when five of my family members tested positive at the same time and three of them had to be hospitalized in emergency. Two of them, with no underlying health issues, spent 15 days in ICU and one of them is still under external oxygen support (though COVID free).”
He shared he was outraged mostly by the Facebook "COVID" experts who constantly argued on it being exaggerated when his family members with no underlying condition were in ICU for 15 days with external oxygen support.
One of his family members is still under external support because his lungs got affected. They improved only when six doses of Remdesivir were given to them and finding this medicine was itself a big struggle, he shared.
“For me, observing five cases right in front of me, it's important to convey this message that it's important to stay safe and not be the carrier, because you never know who is less immune in your family. And home remedies are not going to work at all,” he said.
Maintaining social distancing and following health protocols are not hard, said Psychologist Basu Acharya. “But people are reluctant to follow the rules and they are no longer afraid of the virus.”
“What I think is people are not taking the pandemic seriously because they don’t see it and its consequences are not immediate,” he added.
From the very beginning public health officials have been urging young and healthy people to take precaution so they don’t transmit the illness to elderly and vulnerable people, who are more likely to suffer more severe illness.
Dr. Prabhat Adhikari, Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease and ICU Specialist, stressed that wearing masks alone can actually work as a self-vaccination.
“With mask, you will have less Lethal Dose entering human body, which may not kill you but make you stronger by giving chance to build your own antibodies,” he said.