I feel Covid-19 is a hauua: Satish Shah

Senior actor Satish Shah is currently at home in quarantine after being treated for Covid-19 in a hospital. The 69-year-old, who revealed that he was fine via a tweet, says, “Covid-19 is a big hauua according to me. The coronavirus has not, by itself, killed anyone. I wanted to let people know so that they realise that people who died after testing positive are mostly ones who had other health issues which worsened and their bodies couldn’t cope. Most people recover so there is nothing to be scared of.”

Though he hadn’t stepped out, Shah felt something was amiss when he would be feverish usually in the evenings and that persisted for 6-7 days. He spoke to his doctor friend, who asked him to get tested. Once the results showed he was positive, the friend suggested that Shah get treated in a hospital. His wife, too, tested positive but was asymptomatic.

Shah admits, “I was not scared about going to the hospital. I didn’t anticipate that anything untoward would happen- like major illness or death. I didn’t take chances with my health due to my age. I would advise people that there is nothing to be scared of. When you feel you have any symptoms, get tested and get treated and everything will be fine. Getting treated at the onset is important and if you have any complications of health issues- don’t hide it. Having a positive mindset helps. It was as simple as that.”

Shah reveals that when he got admitted, he kept it low-key and didn’t inform anyone as he didn’t want any publicity out of it. “I had decided that once I came back home, I would tell people that I am hale and hearty. And if I didn’t, people would learn about it anyway (laughs),” he says.

The actor is thankful to the hospital doctors, nurses and other health workers who were “fantastic and took great care”. He was admitted on July 20 and was discharged on July 28. Shah says, “They pampered and looked after me very well. But I am sad that I couldn’t recognize anyone as they were all wearing PPE suits every time they saw me. I tested negative on the 24th and then again on 26th, but due to my age, I was kept under observation till 28th.”