Turkish Anesthesia technician battles COVID-19 twice

By Mehmet Sıddık Kaya

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - A Turkish anesthesia technician who battled the coronavirus twice in four months is urging fellow Turks to follow health rules as the virus continues to spread.

Ozgul Tatar, 41, took a PCR test in July after showing symptoms of the virus. After testing positive, she was discharged from a hospital following a five-day stay and spent 13 days at home in quarantine.

The mother of two tested positive again for the virus in October after noticing symptoms, including difficulty breathing and joint pain. She returned to duty after 10 days of treatment at home.

She told Anadolu Agency that fighting the virus twice was the most difficult period of her life and she was most concerned for her children.

"I will not be able to see my children again. I won't be able to see them growing. Will they live in need of my love and care? I was getting more stressed when I thought about these. I recovered after 14 days," she said.

-Second treatment period

Noting that the second time she contracted the virus she was even more afraid. “From the articles I read, I learned that those who catch the virus a second time suffer worse symptoms. This created an even greater fear in me. My second treatment was more comfortable at home. My fears subsided when I realized that the disease was not getting worse. "

She urged people to follow safety measures.

Turkey has reported nearly 2.3 million COVID-19 infections, including 22,264 deaths and 2.17 million recoveries.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan