Coronavirus Disease

Written by: Wahida Sabir

The first human cases of COVID-19 were reported by officials in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019 and this disease is continuing its spread across the world, with more than 12 million confirmed cases in 188 countries. More than half a million people have lost their lives till the preparation of this program.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people and a physician about the signs, symptoms, and prevention of this pandemic.

Gulsoma, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says, “I am infected with Coronavirus. I am suffering from body pain, headache, and eye pain. Once I thought that I was dying.”

 Ramin, a resident of Kabul province says, “The first day of my illness, I was suffering from the common cold, and later I feel exhaustion. The third and fourth days, I felt pain in body and head and had a severe back pain that I had never experienced before, and I felt the shortage of breath on the sixth day of my illness.”  

Doctor Ramin Sangeen, a physician in Covid-19 branch of Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, Kabul city talks about the signs and symptoms of this disease, “The most infected people might have a fever; dry cough and tiredness; Less common symptoms of Coronavirus are aches and pains; sore throat; diarrhea; conjunctivitis; headache; loss of taste or smell and some patients might die of this disease.”

What do people think about the transmission of Coronavirus?

Aziz Ahmad, a resident of Paghman district, Kabul province says, “We had an engagement ceremony in our home, and many women have participated in the ceremony. Our women have the custom of kissing each other. Some days later, my brother’s wife and one of my sisters were infected with the coronavirus.”

Ramin says, “My brother-in-law was infected with coronavirus and had I went to his shop. After some days, I and other members of my family also infected with the coronavirus.”

A woman from Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “We had gone to praying ceremony of one of my relatives, and when we came back from it, we all were infected with the coronavirus.”

Doctor Sangeen says, “As the coronavirus is a highly contagious disease, the virus transmits through the respiratory system, that is, when a sick person is located in less than 2 meters distance from a healthy person and if the healthy person does not a have a facemask, and they talk to each other, the virus could be transmitted to the healthy person. The virus could also be transmitted through the sneezing of an infected person. The Coronavirus could settle on the objects like gates, utensils, even clothes, etc.. If a healthy person contacts these objects, he/she could be infected with the virus.”

How do people prevent the coronavirus?

Masoudullah, a resident of Qarabagh district says, “I always use a facemask and when I go home from outside, I change my clothes and wash my hand with soap.”

Nadeem, a resident of Nangarhar province says, “I do not go to a picnic or to a crowd to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.”

Doctor Sangeen talks about the prevention of the coronavirus, “The first step to stop the transfer of the coronavirus is the quarantine, which means stay at home because the coronavirus transfers easily from person to person. Keep away from the sick person. Use facemask when going outside the home; wash your hands with soap and clean water or sanitizer so many times a day and avoid eating together on a single dish and stay away from the patient who has a runny nose, cold and sore throat.”