VIDEO-Durban North coronavirus victim speaks about diagnosis

A DURBAN North resident who was diagnosed with the coronavirus has spoken to the Northglen News about her symptoms and her current road to recovery.

Sarah Ferguson, a conservationist who was the first person to swim the entire perimeter of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) as well as the first swimmer to complete the 46km Kai’wi Channel between the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Molokai tested positive for the virus on Saturday.

Ferguson, a physiotherapist by profession, traveled to the UK last month and said she only began displaying symptoms 13 days after returning to SA.

“It started with a sore throat and a dry mouth and I initially put my sore throat down to my training schedule. I phoned my GP who suggested I get tested and self isolate while I waited for my results. It took six days for my results to come back. To be honest I was more worried about the people I came into contact with when the results returned positive. The people who I have been in contact with have tested negative. It’s still unclear where I contracted the virus as we aren’t able to track down the location,” she said.

Ferguson took to her YouTube channel to discuss her symptoms (see below):

“The thing to bear in mind is the virus doesn’t affect everyone the same. It affects those who are immuno-compromised and elderly differently. My symptoms changed day by day, I suffered mild headaches and then developed a dry cough. I also experienced a shortness of breath while out hanging clothes which was an unusual feeling for me. The only way to describe that feeling is when you are walking up a steep hill and your body needing to rest,” she said.

Ferguson advised residents and citizens to avoid sharing fake news and to consult only reputable sources like the NICD.

“It’s so easy to panic at this stage because this is unprecedented but I’m urging everyone to follow the rule of law and respect the 21 days lockdown,” she said.

Ferguson plans to get retested this Sunday.

More than 18 000 people around the world have died from COVID-19. While South Africa is yet to record a fatality, it’s seen 709 confirmed cases, a figure that is expected to grow in the coming days.

On Thursday the country enters  a 21-day lockdown for the country as fears mount over the number of Covid-19 coronavirus infections.

“This is a decisive measure to save millions of South Africans from infection and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Those countries that have acted swiftly and dramatically have been far more effective in controlling the spread of the disease,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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