From COVID-19 ward, 26-yr-old patient in TN writes 4 exams, completes course term

By April 6, when she was discharged, Laasya managed to complete her final exams and the second term of the course she is studying in another country.

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A pandemic, fear, and even vicious gossip proved to be no match for 26-year-old Laasya*, a resident of Tamil Nadu, who spent 18 days at the Government ESI hospital after she was tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The student who was admitted for treatment on March 16 not only recovered successfully from the virus but even managed to write four exams and submit two assignments to her University. By April 6, when she was discharged, Laasya had completed her final exams and the second term of the course she is pursuing in another country, and all this from a COVID-19 ward.

"I had my laptop and phone with me. The main motivation to finish all this was to be occupied while in isolation," she tells TNM over the phone, speaking from her residence where she will remain quarantined for 14 days. "You don't see a human face for weeks and remaining idle is a terrible idea," she adds.

So the young woman took it upon herself to complete her coursework and would stay up till 3 am sometimes, owing to the time difference.

"Classes would start late in the afternoon for which I logged in but there were times when I have submitted assignments as late as 3 in the morning, based on deadline time in that country," she explains. "I wrote four exams and while some exams were live and some were in the form of submission. I even gave an interview for an internship on the day I was discharged," laughs Laasya.

In any spare time that she had, she avoided reading messages on social media and instead took to reading books. This, she says, was a deliberate attempt to block out the vicious gossip being spread about her. Laasya had arrived in the New Delhi airport and later reached her hometwon. As soon as she arrived in the city, she says she went to the government hospital where she was told that she COVID-19 negative. Despite this, she states that she quarantined herself, before going back to the hospital three days later when she came to know that one of her classmates had tested positive.

She immediately went to the Government medical college for a test.

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"There were however rumours on WhatsApp that I had gone to malls and markets as soon as I came back and even that I had escaped from the hospital," she says. "And not just me, all the patients were seeing fake news about themselves. In fact, a businessman who was also admitted along with me was so disturbed by all this. I realised for the sake of my own mental health, I needed to remain occupied," she says.

In ESI, she says she was in good hands and well taken care of. Except for mild symptoms and discomfort, she was largely healthy.

"I was tense till the results of my family came. But once they were found to be negative, I felt relieved and knew I would recover," she says. "What was frustrating, however, was that they took five days to give my first test results and another seven days to discharge me after I was found free of the infection. This unnecessary delay was a source of anxiety," she says.

But even as she faced her battles inside the COVID-19 ward, her family had to listen to tongues wag outside. Laasya's father was stopped in public places by people who wanted to know if his daughter was infected.

"It was a difficult time for everyone. But I realised that people who even share this gossip or even get them in the form of messages are those who want to actively engage in this slander and create panic. So I am not very bothered by it," says Laasya. "And for every person who spreads such wrong messages, there is one person who is kind and accepting," she adds.

When Laasya returned to her apartment on Monday, 30 people in her apartment complex stood scattered, some at the entrance and others at their balconies, clapping for her, as she returned to her residence victorious.

"The ones who want to put you down don't matter," she says. "Especially when you have so many others looking to lift you up."

(*name changed)