Joy FM’s Israel Laryea recounts how he tested positive for coronavirus

A senior broadcaster with Multimedia, Israel Laryea has recounted how he tested positive for coronavirus on 27th January,2021.

The journalist who has used his social media handles to propagate coronavirus news and advocated for adherence to safety protocols narrates how the least Chance he gave made him contract the virus.

In a Facebook post, he said it was after the numbers started going down that he eased the restrictions on himself.

He wrote:

I tested positive for #COVID19.

This was after a colleague named me as a contact. I immediately had to get my sample taken and tested. This was Wednesday, January 27, 2021.

I quarantined in the outhouse at home and only accessed the main building when it was necessary. When I did, I made sure I sanitized anything I touched, especially the door handles.

Being in the outhouse was kind of lonely – even though comfortable and had everything I needed. I missed my wife Louisa. We spent the nights chatting away on phone, as if we were just starting to date.

I had no symptoms except for an initial mild headache and fever.

I’ve always kept my mask on in public, especially in the office and have continued to do so.

Fortunately, I did not lose my sense of taste nor smell.

Do I know how I may have been infected? I have a few suspicions.

When I had to resume work physically to the office after working from home for a few months at the height of the pandemic, I didn’t take chances at all. I packed my meals and drink to the office from home and had my lunch in my car. No canteens, no restaurants and no eating together with colleagues. I wouldn’t let a “stranger” drive my car to even repark it, because I was scared of possible contamination.

I stopped going to the make-up room. I made-up myself before going on air. I sanitized my hands and space before I took off my mask in the studio. I stopped going to the barber. He rather came home. I ensured he washed his hands, disinfected and had his mask on.

Admittedly, after a significant decline in the number of cases though, I eased my strict preventive protocols somewhat and visited the office canteen. I ate in restaurants even though I tried to keep a good distance away from people. I allowed others to repark my car in the office and took off my mask to have a drink or a snack at my desk when I was alone.

So yeah, I dropped my guard in quite a few instances, making it difficult to determine at which point I got infected.

Fortunately, the rest of my household tested negative – that’s Louisa my wife and Mitch my middle son, who is the only child currently at home, schooling online, as the other two are in boarding house.