Hamad Hassan al-Badr, a 54-year-old Qatari man who recently recovered from the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), believes he got infected during his shopping trips and urged everyone to go out only if absolutely necessary.
Talking to Qatar TV Friday about his illness and treatment, al-Badr said he was at a loss of words to express his gratitude to the excellent care he got from the department concerned at the Ministry of Public Health right from the moment he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and until he was discharged after a complete recovery.
"I thought I would not get infected with Covid-19 as I used to have minimal contact with others but I used to go to the hypermarket from where I believe I contracted the virus," he explained.
It started with a persistent rise in temperature and feeling exhausted all the time, with difficulty to even get out of bed. Then, he went to a private health centre where a doctor gave him some antibiotics, which he felt did not help. He was already suffering from hypertension and diabetes.
Eventually, he went to the Primary Health Care Health Centre in his area and they suspected that he was infected with Covid-19. In a few hours he was admitted at Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital, where he received excellent care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
After 48 hours in the ICU his condition stabilised. He continued to get the due medical care until fully recovered.
"I did not lack anything and I consider myself to be lucky, to be living in Qatar," while urging everyone to take extra care to follow strictly all the necessary preventive and precautionary measures for his own good and that of all around him.
"People should avoid leaving home unless it is very necessary and when going out they should abide by the related recommendations and regulations.
“After recovering, I started to take more care of my health to avoid such trouble in future,” he added.