Sarita
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Indian
Background: Sarita is in her 40s and is Indian. She works as a child-minder. Sarita experienced change of taste as a result of Covid. Things that were supposed to taste sweet tasted salty to her.
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Sarita developed a mild cough in January 2021 and decided to book a Covid test. On the day of the test, Sarita had a very high temperature and felt really unwell. That evening, she received the results of her test which showed that she was positive for Covid. Shortly after, her body became very sore and achey and she lost her taste. She says, “a piece of Dairy Milk chocolate tasted salty.”
Sarita isolated from her family until her husband and son also tested positive a few days later. She says that her son was completely asymptomantic, it was not obvious he had Covid. Sarita’s husband, on the other hand, had a cough, tiredness, and aches and pain. Even though Sarita has not been infectious for some time, she says that she still feels some of the symptoms of Covid. For example, she still feels tired when walking up the stairs.
Sarita says that during her self-isolation she was lucky to have friends who delievered food at her doorstep. She says this made a huge difference to her mood.
Sarita was shouted at in a supermarket when she wasn’t following the one-way arrows.
Sarita was shouted at in a supermarket when she wasn’t following the one-way arrows.
I remember being shouted on in a Tesco store in [place name] because I was, you know where, if you remember, you know the, most super stores had those one way arrows they had marked on the floor so you can go, you can just go in this direction but don’t come back kind of a thing and I just happened to step in the wrong direction, you know I had just taken, you know, and this man just shouted at me. And he say “how can you do this?” And I said, “look I am really sorry I didn’t mean to, I completely did not notice the arrow” and it’s not like, it’s not like I wanted to argue it was a genuine mistake. He’s like, “oh gosh.” You know people were paranoid at that point and he’s like, “Dude, I do not want to get Covid” and I said “just because I walked in the wrong way it does not mean to say that I’ve got Covid” [laughs].
Sarita says she felt like a carpet had been pulled from under her feet when she was told she could not visit her family in India.
Sarita says she felt like a carpet had been pulled from under her feet when she was told she could not visit her family in India.
I mean I think for almost a couple of weeks after lockdown we were I wouldn’t say like a depression now that would be very… very, very harsh but you know we were very down because we were really looking forward to going to India to the point where we had booked the, we had booked the venue and you do, do everything for the ritual and then… you know, just to be, it felt just like the carpet had been pulled from under your feet and then you know a week before you are supposed to fly and then the lockdown hits you.
Sarita, a childminder, felt guilty that the families of the children she cared for had to isolate.
Sarita, a childminder, felt guilty that the families of the children she cared for had to isolate.
But then the parents were very very supportive about it and you know it was not like it was my fault. But luckily, I would say that it was good in a way I did not have any other children because you know there are times where I have about five children in the house. So I do not even want to imagine telling each and every one you’ve got to isolate, you’ve got to isolate, but yeah it was…it [laughs]. But you do feel, I don’t know, I don’t know about other people… do you need to feel guilty about it because I don’t know? Sometimes it was like oh god it’s because of me she has to isolate kind of a thing. But then it’s not my… it’s not anybody’s fault really is it?
Sarita received very understanding responses when she told people she’d been in contact with that she had Covid.
Sarita received very understanding responses when she told people she’d been in contact with that she had Covid.
I don’t know why I felt guilty you know the fact that I was letting the wee girl’s mum know about it but she was being, she was being so understanding about it. She said don’t worry about it at all. I guess also due to the fact you know that the wee girl’s grand mum is a nurse so she understands, you know it can catch you from anywhere.
Sarita corrected someone who suggested she might still be infectious after 10 days.
Sarita corrected someone who suggested she might still be infectious after 10 days.
She messaged me, she said you know Sarita I am glad to know you are feeling better but rather than starting you know this next week we’ll wait a week more just to make sure and I said to her I don’t quite like the tone of the text because she said just to make sure the virus has left your house. and I said what does that mean? I mean how, it doesn’t make sense [laughs]. So I told her, I said look I am not going to take another test. I said because, I said I don’t know if you are aware or not but the virus can stay in my body for as long as 90 days without it being infectious after my 10 days infectious period is over so there is still a chance if I can take a PCR test my test will come back as positive even though I am no longer infectious.
Sarita caught Covid in January 2021. Her taste was affected and everything tasted the same.
Sarita caught Covid in January 2021. Her taste was affected and everything tasted the same.
So my taste changed so much where upon the only thing I could, my body or my brains rather could realise that my palate, could realise that I had something salty, sweet and spicy but I could not get no flavours of anything. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was a piece of potato or a piece of chicken you know it just all tasted the same.
Sarita was so used to wearing her mask at home that she accidentally tried to drink coffee through it.
Sarita was so used to wearing her mask at home that she accidentally tried to drink coffee through it.
And look I think though, what I started doing which I found very difficult was that I was putting on a mask in the house 24/7. Because I did not even by accident want to pass it on so I would you know only take it off when eating and whilst I was sleeping but other than that even when I got up to go to the toilet I would just have, I had my mask on most of the times. Yeah so not, not pleasant. Ended up, ended up trying to drink a cup of coffee and I didn’t realise I had my mask on [laughing].
Sarita spent a few days isolating until she was reunited with her loved ones as ‘one big happy family’ because everyone tested positive.
Sarita spent a few days isolating until she was reunited with her loved ones as ‘one big happy family’ because everyone tested positive.
We would try at least for the first 5 days when we didn’t know they were positive as well. I would just try and make sure that I would, I think what we used to do is that they would have a shower first, they would use the bathroom because we only had one bathroom upstairs. They would just use the bathroom first and then in the, I would go late. I would go last and then after I would finish my shower and my other things you know I would just clean it down as much as I could and then absolutely we would just try not be in the same, in the same room. So, like you know if I were in the kitchen just getting something for myself they would just stay away or most of the time he would come and leave everything for me, you know by the door. But again that was, I think that happened for the first 2 to 3 days and then yeah, I by I think by Friday or Saturday we were all one big happy family, where we were [Laughs]. There was no point in self-isolating against each other because we were all, we had all tested positive.