Local business owner Gavin Biggs, from Linkside, who recently recovered from Covid-19, shared his gruelling experience to help others realise the severity of the virus and encourage them to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Despite only experiencing symptoms on June 5, which included severe headaches, body aches and sore joints, Biggs, who is the owner of City Paint and Tool in Port Elizabeth, suspected that he contracted the virus on June 2, when he visited his general practitioner.
“It was something as simple as touching a chair in a consulting doctor’s room. When I got back into my car and while taking my mask off, I must have touched my mouth. It was as easy as that for me to get the infection,” said Biggs.
On June 8, Biggs who is a chronic asthmatic, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bronchitis.
The doctor then advised him to proceed to be tested for Covid-19.
He tested for Covid-19 on June 11, at the Ampath, Pickering Street Laboratory, a drive-through testing facility.
The following day, Biggs had difficulty breathing and contacted his doctor who then admitted him to Netcare Greenacres Hospital.
Later that evening he received his results which indicated that he had tested positive for Covid-19.
“I was really struggling with my breathing and it was the first time I realised I was at risk. I was put on a nebuliser to try and stabilise my breathing,” said Biggs.
“This was incredibly challenging, and I had to dig incredibly deep to be able to recover from this. My mind took over and really pulled me through.”
Biggs said the hospital was like a war zone and it was clearly visible that there was a pandemic.
He further said medical facilities were under tremendous pressure in the Covid-19 wards and were struggling to cope with the number of patients.
“This disease is not to be taken lightly or for granted at all, especially people with underlying conditions, like myself,” he said.
Biggs’ wife, Dr Lynn Biggs, who is the deputy dean of the law department at NMU, had also tested positive for Covid-19, while their two children, aged 15 and 17, tested negative.
Fortunately, his wife was not very ill and quickly recovered.
On June 18, Biggs was informed by his doctor that he had met the Covid-19 Disaster Centre’s requirements and was therefore allowed to return home.
“I was incredibly emotional, just to get the call that I could return home to my family, who I had not seen for at least eight days.
“While I was at home, I was able to drop my guard and I realised that I had overcome the disease and that I could finally be integrated back with my family,” he said.
Despite finally being reunited with his family, Biggs said for at least seven days after he returned home, they had to adhere to social distancing because his wife was still in isolation and he was very susceptible to relapse.
Biggs, who is still very weak and out of breath, has a long road to fully recovering.
He wants people to realise that the disease is very real and that they should adhere to the rules of social distancing.
“We all need social interaction, but, from what I have experienced, I would highly encourage people, especially those who are vulnerable and have underlying diseases, to be extremely careful of any social gatherings and really follow the protocol that has been set out for us, which includes wearing masks and hand sanitising,” said Biggs.
- Go to https://www.coronavirusmonitor.co.za/ for more information.
