This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
Covid-19: Recovered Pair's Isolation Experience Offers Lesson in Fighting Stigma ¶
On June 28, 2020, Bronex Kirui and Sharon Jeruto, two staff members at Kabarak Guest House, were taken into isolation at Nakuru Level Five Hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. The news left them in a state of confusion and fear.
However, with the support of their family, friends, and the Kabarak community, they were able to overcome their fears and find comfort in each other's company. They even started playing games and telling stories to pass the time, which helped to create a sense of sisterhood among the isolation ward patients.
Jeruto noted that the toughest challenge was accepting the test results, and that denial was the first thing that settled in the mind of asymptomatic patients. She added that they stuck to the health protocols, using sanitiser to fight the disease and applying it everywhere they went.
After two more tests, the results from the second test on July 1 came out negative, followed by another negative test result on July 4. They were finally released from the hospital on July 6.
According to Kabarak University Vice-Chancellor Henry Kiplagat, the stories of the two staff members in their fight against the pandemic showed resilience, attributes the institution is using to raise awareness against stigmatisation. He added that observing health protocols was the only way to fight the virus that has been rapidly spreading.
Dr Eugene Musungu, a resident doctor at Kabarak, noted that the quick recovery of the two staff members shows that the first results were taken when the virus was at the last stages of shedding off. He added that there is a need to follow health protocols as the disease is rapidly spreading from human to human.
Aiden Bruk, a guest at Kabarak guest house, has been staying at the facility for the last seven months to keep safe. He has been tested and turned out negative, and plans to stay until it is safer to travel.
