Chapter 14 "Corona-virus"

"Coronavirus"

Morning of February 27, 2020. David was awake, staring strangely at the ceiling of his hospital room. He and Nina had had a very bad night's sleep. They woke up every hour feeling fatigue they could not yet explain. It was six o'clock in the morning and those feline blue eyes that once expressed life were now looking sleepy, he was feeling weak, feeling dizzy, and had symptoms of an extremely strong flu. He tried to get up when he heard some low moans that seemed distant coming from the bathroom. It was Nina vomiting. Nina had pain in her stomach, a fever was coughing a lot, and had a sore throat. They both woke up very badly. David managed to press the alarm button and in a few seconds, the nurses came into the room to help them.

Nina and David were lying next to each other in their respective beds. Nina had gone from being an escort to a patient during the course of the night. The nurses examined them, gave them medication, and exchanged suspicious glances with each other before leaving and returning with the doctors. The doctors entered the room a few minutes later wearing special anti-contamination clothing. They looked like nuclear power plant workers: aprons, elbow-length gloves, safety glasses, and face shields or clear visors, caps, etc. Nina and David stared at them wide-eyed without understanding anything.

The specialists explained the whole situation to them. They explained that the two were suspected of being infected with the SARS- CoV-2 virus, which caused the disease popularly known as "coronavirus". A deadly virus that since December 1 had emerged in China and was spreading rapidly around the world until it reached Italy, which had its first cases reported in Lombardy that month. The number of cases was suddenly skyrocketing in the country at the end of February, leading doctors to believe that the disease had been spreading for some time without being confirmed or even noticed, silently contaminating the population, which would soon be left with no way out when a very large number of infected people needed public or private health services. - News was published by Google, Wikipedia, and several online sites about the pandemic around the world.

The two of them looked at each other for a long time. They didn't know what to say at that moment, they were frightened and when the doctors left the room, David jumped up to Nina's bed and hugged her tightly for a long time. Nina became even more fragile and couldn't hold back the tears when she felt that protective embrace that she had been begging for a long time inside, and she burst into a cry so painful that it seemed as if someone had died at that very moment.

All the terrible events of the past days came to the surface when she felt those strong arms holding her with passion, all the pain, and humiliation, all the insecurity and fear of losing him, all the crying she had held crushing her chest in painful silence when she couldn't tell him what they were trying to do to send her away from his life... Everything fell apart in that instant! She collapsed! He cradled her, thinking that that moan was just fear of dying, fear of the pandemic that would soon haunt the whole world.

- Chi...I'm here Nina. Calm down! Calm down! It's going to be all right, I promise. I won't let anything happen to us. He kissed her head, her forehead, kissed her tears. He lay down beside her on his bed, enveloping her in his warmth, laying her head on his chest and they stayed there for a long time together until night fell again and Nina fell asleep on his lap like a child seeking shelter...

"No one knew for sure what was myth or truth about the new virus that was spreading rapidly and violently among humanity, leaving traces of disgrace and despair among the family members who were left and lost their loved ones without the right to even see, say goodbye to, or bury them," reported the reporter on one of the channels that David flipped on and off the hospital TV while Nina slept. It was impossible to watch the news and not be carried away by the panic that was already collectively setting in.

"At first scientists, scholars and infectious disease specialists all over the world thought that the disease was not transmitted between humans. Soon they confirmed that it was and that the disease was spreading rapidly, faster than the speed of the health authorities in devising a prevention plan in the community," the TV reporter continued. It was also believed that it was only transmitted among those who had symptoms such as fever, cough, and breathing difficulties, but they proved that even people without symptoms could transmit the disease. And the most common symptoms do not begin and end with coughing and fever.

Symptoms range from vomiting, diarrhea, loss of smell, sore throat, and/or chest pain. These were the symptoms that Nina was feeling. They were some of the signs that health professionals do not ignore when deciding to test a suspect for the covid-19 virus.

Many people carried the virus but did not show any symptoms, which made it even more difficult to map and register people who should be tested and isolated so that they would not contaminate a larger number of people, as these people walked free spreading the virus unknowingly. "This is why the use of masks in closed places is so important, to avoid the spread of the virus by people who don't know they have it but still spread it unknowingly", - answered a doctor who was being interviewed on another channel.

The TV on a debate channel showing reports about the situation in Italy with the pandemic, and David with his cell phone in hand reading everything he could find on Google about this disease. He clicked on all the links, and even Wikipedia, which he thought was not a totally secure source of information... so he read:

"In late February, Italy was hit harder than anywhere else in Europe by the pandemic and is the country with the second-highest number of positive cases, as well as deaths, in the world. Eleven municipalities in northern Italy have been identified as the epicenters of the two main Italian clusters and quarantined. Most positive cases in the other regions lead to these two groups. Italy was one of the first countries in Europe to suspend all direct flights to and from China. After the first two cases reported in January in Rome, Italy introduced thermal scanners and temperature checks on international passengers arriving at its airports. By February 29, Italy had conducted more than 18,500 tests for the virus.

As of February 29, there were 29 deaths, a total of 1,128 positive cases, of which 478 were confirmed by the National Health Institute (ISS) and 50 recoveries."

BBC News Brazil: "In Spain, the number of confirmed cases rose to 64,059, a 14% increase from 18% the previous day and 20% on Wednesday. In 24 hours, 769 people died, a daily record, bringing the total to 4,858. The Spanish government has extended the state of emergency until at least April 12. Movement of people is severely restricted and most stores and businesses closed..."

Nina's world had collapsed once again in the space of just a few days, that is, it wasn't enough that there was a flood of rumors and gossip involving the name of one of the most popular stars in the movie world, and the crises that David and Nina were respectively facing alone, he because he had been going through physical and mental exhaustion for a few weeks now, she because she was suffering pressure from all sides for daring to get involved with a man who was the object of desire of the most powerful people in the world at that moment, they still had to face a worldwide pandemic.

She could not believe that she was infected with covid-19. She kept thinking and asking herself, "Just like that, without warning? Nobody suspected, nobody expected! How could the results come back positive for SARS-CoV-2? A virus-like this doesn't choose color, or age, or time, or place. These were Nina's thoughts. She was confused, afraid, and full of doubts about a virus that not even the medical and scientific community knew about. She and the rest of the world we're afraid of the unexpected.

The two of them were isolated in that room. All health professionals who entered or left during the course of the days had to wear special uniforms against the virus. They informed David and Nina that they would have to be separated within a few hours because they had both tested positive for the virus. They were officially infected with covid-19.

They had to identify all the places they passed and name all people who were close by during their entire stay in Rome, so that the hospital staff could alert the local authorities in other countries, as they did concerning Norway, alerting them to Lyon and Kara, who was promptly escorted from their arrival on Norwegian soil, tested, and confirmed as carriers of the virus.

David's agents were also tested positive, as were other actors who were recording with David before he traveled to Italy on vacation. As many people as possible would be informed, tested and isolated. Nina and David would be hospitalized for two to four weeks depending on the evolution of the virus... And all they did was follow the news and publications on all websites and news outlets about Norway, Brazil, the UK, and around the world.

On March 9, 2020, Italy extended the state of quarantine and took more drastic measures to prevent the spread of the outbreak. The measures included general travel restrictions, bans on public events, closure of schools and public spaces such as cinemas, and suspension of religious services, including funerals or weddings.

By March 10, the number of confirmed cases in Norway had risen to 400, and an increasing number of these cases could not be attributed to travel abroad or any known infected person, indicating that community transmission had begun in Norway. On March 12, a nationwide lockdown was announced, starting at 6:00 pm the same day. For a few weeks, schools, kindergartens, gymnasiums, beauty salons, etc., would be closed. Sports and cultural events and meetings would be banned, and the restrictions also applied to restaurants.

On March 18, Italy had its highest number of sick people in 24 hours; there were more than 4,200 infected. The same day also saw the highest number of deaths in 24 hours, with 475 deaths. On March 19, Italy had become the country with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus deaths in the world. This number was only surpassed on April 11 by the United States, which at the time became the new epicenter of the pandemic on the planet.

As the days went by, the healthcare staff at the hospital where Nina and David were admitted tried several times to separate them. One of the reasons the doctors claimed was that Nina was much sicker than he was, and needed other care that he did not need to witness. David fought with all his might to keep Nina from being moved to another room.

The staff of the wealthiest hospital in the region was sympathetic to the two, who were facing several crises together. They made an exception because they had been together the whole time and because David had been facing another health condition before. They would be observed and cared for thoroughly. And since they were not in serious condition, they were allowed to stay in the same room. They were not yet fully aware of what this pandemic was causing in the world, but soon they would know... They would experience up close the chaos this virus had caused by spreading so brutally in Italy.

People were losing their loved ones, their grandparents, their friends, their loves! People were terrified, locked inside their homes to survive, and still not sure of anything. Not knowing what to expect. People were in mourning, crying in the streets, it seemed like the end of the world! The social withdrawal was accompanied by depression, pain, and a lot of suffering. People held concerts, serenades, and "social parties" from the balconies of their buildings. Everything was a reason to viralize on social networks. Never was the internet and streaming services like Netflix, HBO so important as during that trying time!

This pandemic taught us many things: That no matter how many well-written texts are posted on social networks about awareness and social isolation, there will be countless differences between the social isolation of a rich family and a poor family. All the texts describing that this disease does not distinguish race, skin color, age, or status, were probably written by people who have not witnessed up close what it is like to be a millionaire hospitalized in one of the best clinics in one place or to stand in line together with thousands of people waiting for an oxygen device to be released.

Never was the social difference so evident as during this pandemic period. The needy population evidently and demonstrably suffered the most consequences because they were the hardest hit. All the articles that discussed social inequality during the pandemic stressed the same thing: that social inequality had never been so blatantly exposed!

How can you live in a third-world country and not go to work when you have children at home going hungry? Without financial help from anywhere? How can you be isolated in a house where several family members live, with no Internet, no telephones, no television in each room? How can you force your children not to go to school and stay at home with no way to study over the Internet? Is all this much less important than saving yourself? Yes, it is. Of course, it is! Life is above everything, but you are going to try to educate a nation overnight because of a pandemic?

People only believe it when it happens before their eyes. People only really care when it hits them. Even with the news media alarming the population day and night, still, many people didn't take it seriously until the last minute. Are they humans without conscience? Are they flawed? Yes, they are. During the pandemic, there was a lot of solidarity, but there was also a lot of selfishness.

The whole country stopped! The world stopped! While the virus was being spread and trying to be contained in China, people seemed to feel safer, but when it reached Italy, they saw that the virus was on their doorstep. Everyone was panicked to see what was happening in Italy! People were forbidden to leave their homes. There were so many deaths that the authorities were throwing the bodies all together without even a proper wake or burial. There were so many bodies packed in black plastic bags thrown into containers, that even if mankind spends years reading articles and more articles that can describe these cases, they will never know what it was like to see it up close.

The tension, the fear, the pain, the despair of the people. Nothing will ever compensate for their losses. A fatality of nature that has not been controlled for a long time. Many experts blame Italy for not taking immediate action early, but the virus arrived on Italy's doorstep as a nuclear bomb dropped from the air.

Italy served as an example for the rest of Europe as a whole to take immediate and drastic action to prevent the same thing from happening in their countries. But the truth is that it could have happened in any country. The virus could be spreading in any region without the authorities detecting it, and by the time they take precautions, it could be too late for anyone. To describe the experts from all over the world in public articles in the "online" information media, which Nina, David, and the whole world followed day and night. Here is just a mere example from one of them:

"Italy adopted restrictive measures too late. By the time they did, there were already too many cases. When these measures are adopted when the epidemic is near its peak, they have little effect. The countries that had more positive results adopted these measures early.

No matter how good the country's health system was, it couldn't handle the volume of cases because it didn't take measures early. No system can cope with a large number of cases in a short period of time. There is not enough equipment for so many people. By taking measures before the number of cases accumulates, the tendency is that the health service can cope. These measures should have been taken weeks earlier," Nina read the article on the BBC News Brazil page: this is also the opinion of Eduardo Hage Carmo, an epidemiologist from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

Nina and David had no disease, they were not among the risk group of people who were more susceptible to not resisting if they were infected by the virus. Like the elderly and people with diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and many others that caused the individual with the disease to have low immunity, they were still in a panic, because every hour was a different discovery about the behavior of this virus. The health authorities constantly changed their recommendations.

One hour Nina read that the use of masks was recommended only for patients and caregivers, according to the general direction of health, then around April, it was read that all people after confinement should use them. The DGS, on the other hand, recommended that all people wear them. While the World Health Organization had a different opinion for several months and recommended that only healthy people who were going to care for sick people should wear masks.

Every hour they changed the rules and information. Before long sick children appeared, and young people were also killed. The truth was that nobody knew for sure what was true about this disease. Everyone was studying it. The world was on high alert and everyone was declaring a state of emergency. In the world, there was general panic among the population. Many people who were already suffering from some kind of emotional disturbance tended to get worse because of all these problems related to this world crisis, and the number of cases of depression and psychological problems was rising all over the world.

But even in the midst of the darkness, the light will always shine because despite everything we also had many positive things. We had examples of solidarity, as when in many different places around the world the armed forces supported the needy population and disinfected old people's homes and schools, collaborated in the distribution of food to people at risk, not only because of illness but also because of lack of food and housing, set up field hospitals and support structures for the homeless and those without private health insurance.

Many private companies served as an example showing that not only selfishness, individuality, and social difference were present in this general picture of the planet, and they volunteered to help. There are many examples of private hospitals that also received patients with covid-19, an important help, thus complementing the demand that the public health agencies were receiving without being able to provide care. Many private companies also started manufacturing personal protective equipment and alcohol gels for those who were on the front lines fighting the disease. And there were many people besides doctors and nurses who treated sick people at home, at work. From supermarket employees to public transport drivers and train drivers, all those who went to work despite their risks deserved the recognition of citizens and authorities during the most critical phase of the pandemic, and even afterward.