Have recovered, now waiting for doctor’s nod to donate plasma: Karnataka MP Sumalatha

Ambareesh had shared the news that she tested positive for the coronavirus pandemic on July 6. She said the first step she took after obtaining the test result was to share the news on a public platform.

“I had been touring my constituency extensively and I thought it was unfair on my part to keep this a secret. Even though some advised not to go open about this, I was firm that I should tell people that I had tested positive,” she said.

She added that she felt “distressed” on coming across people stigmatising the pandemic and the patients.

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In her pursuit to defeat Covid-19, Sumalatha said she thought of herself as a soldier fighting for the country to keep herself motivated. “Similar to our soldiers’ valour for our country, the recovering phase for me from the infection was a fight for my own life. This kept me motivated throughout the days in home isolation after Covid-19 infection was confirmed in me,” she added.

At the same time, the Mandya MP said she decided not to get herself admitted to any hospital and to get home isolated.

“It would have been very easy for me to get admitted to a hospital but I decided not to do so,” she said, admitting the fact that it was difficult for many to confirm a hospital bed due to the high inflow of Covid-19 patients.

Ambareesh remembered her days in isolation filled with instances where she tried to embrace optimism and how she started talking to herself.

She also said that fighting the pandemic all by herself in a room at home was not easy. “Once you get it (coronavirus infection), it is essential to ensure that it does not get to you.”

“However, I kept my routine as normal as possible, but confined to a room,” she added.

The MP urged family members of Covid patients to ensure moral support rather than stigmatising the condition.

“As a patient, one goes through fear, confusion, and might even feel depressed being confined in a room. Covid is never an unbeatable monster but together, we can beat it and each family should recognise this as a basic step while nursing a patient,” she said.

Meanwhile, the first-time MP urged the Parliament to think of alternative methods to convene a session soon. “While it looks nearly impossible to conduct a session now, an alternative temporary solution is inevitable. It would be a huge challenge to put 543 people in a virtual room but there will be some kind of technology resolution to this too,” she said.