Recovered coronavirus couple had no symptoms

It all started on March 13 when Ms Rebecca Mirembe, aged 28, travelled to Rwanda to visit her mother. She returned on March 18. Little did she know she had come back with the virulent coronavirus to infect her husband, Mr Godfrey Mugisha, 25.
With the growing number of coronavirus infected cases, government called upon all those who had travelled out of the country to report for testing.
Ms Mirembe responded and was tested together with her husband, who had stayed home with their children.

On March 24, a team of security officers from Kayunga District came to her home to deliver the results.
The couple was anxious and curious. First the bad news; They had tested positive for coronavirus. The good news: all their children were negative.
“When the results came out positive, I did not feel bad, I know anytime you can get a disease. I had to accept the situation because either way, I had nothing to do. I was told I am the one who infected my husband,” Ms Mirembe said yesterday.
The security team informed them that an ambulance was on the way to pick them. Later, the couple and their four children were taken by ambulance to Entebbe General Hospital.

After a confinement of 20 days on treatment, the couple was declared to have recovered from the virus and discharged on April 13.
Despite testing positive, neither Ms Mirembe nor her husband had a sign or symptom of coronavirus throughout the treatment period.
“What made me strong is that we didn’t have any signs or symptoms until we were discharged; not even flu or cough. They told me I am the one who infected my husband because he initially did not have the virus. I was coming from Rwanda and I only went with my youngest baby, but all tests taken indicate all my four children are negative,” Ms Mirembe said.

She said later the health workers did not want the children to be in hospital since it was not safe for them. However, the couple’s dilemma was who would take care of the children if they went alone back home.
The doctors agreed that the children stay in the hospital, but said they had to be monitored and tested frequently.
“The doctors wanted our children to return home but there was no one at home. No one wanted to stay with our children based on the current condition. So they decided we stay with them in hospital as they monitored us. Good luck our children are negative,” Ms Mirembe said.

In same room
Ms Roselyn Mutonyi, a principal nurse at Entebbe hospital where majority coronavirus patients were quarantined for treatment, said though the children were allowed to stay with their parents, they (medics) knew they were taking a huge risk but sending the kids home alone was not a better option either.
Asked how the children stayed negative despite interacting with their parents, the health worker said she is not sure why but added that coronavirus is a new disease that still needs more research about its infectiousness. Mr Mugisha said though his wife could have been the cause of the infection, he cannot blame her because it was not her choosing to contract the disease.

While every patient is isolated in their own room at Entebbe hospital, the family were isolated in the same room.
“When we reached Entebbe Hospital, we were checked frequently, they would give us Panadol, Vitamin C and Chloroquine. The health workers did their best, they gave us the best care,” Ms Mirembe said.
She said spending a day in an isolation room is like a jobless person who cannot move outside his house.

Ms Mirembe said all Covid- 19 patients stay in their rooms until they are discharged, adding that they only see nurses and health workers who come to treat them and provide meals.
“If you have nothing to do, you will be sleeping because we are just inside. They won’t allow you to move out. You only see nurses for treatment and food,” Ms Mirembe added.
Mr Mugisha said: “Nurses made sure we get breakfast, lunch, evening meal, evening tea and we were served good meals.”
Health officials at Entebbe Hospital said the couple would be followed up for 21 days to monitor their health status.

What next?
After being discharged on April 13, the couple has vowed to do community education about coronavirus, especially on prevention and stigma. The couple said though some community members received them with joy and congratulatory chants on Monday, others avoided them.

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