‘Need to go out there’: Frontline warrior recounts his daily battle with COVID-19

Srinagar, June 8: Shabir Ahmad, a lab technician at Mini Maternity Centre (MMC), Hospital in Noorbagh area of Srinagar, has been conducting hundreds of COVID-19 tests since the beginning of the pandemic and it has become part and parcel of his duty during the past one year.

A resident of Rainawari area of Srinagar, Shabir has had to travel around the city on a daily basis right from the day the pandemic broke out last year thereby putting his life to continuous risk of exposure to the deadly virus.

   

While the young COVID-19 warrior has lost count of the hundreds of tests he has carried out throughout the pandemic, Shabir has had the chance to witness the peak of first as well as the prevailing 2nd COVID-19 wave.

Being a witness to both the surge and fall of the virus cases, Shabir expressed confidence that Covid-19 cases are on a decline in Kashmir.

“The administrative decisions taken at the right time particularly the lockdown imposed in the J&K has brought the rate of positive cases down to a comfortable level, ” he said.

In fact the decline in the daily cases is reflected from the test results at his centre of late.

“Take the example of today itself. Out of the 80 tests conducted, so far, only two persons have tested positive”, he said with a sigh of relief at the time this report was filed.

Ahmad further hoped that in coming days there will be “more decline registered in the positive cases”.

Talking about his daily fight with the virus, Shabir said, “Duty has been tough. My mother belongs to the vulnerable group and I prefer to stay alone when I go home after performing my duty of conducting the Covid-19 tests. At the same time I am thankful to the doctors at MMC who have supported and backed me in doing my job, he said”.

“It is my job and will continue in doing so. We need to go out there and conduct testing as it is one of the ways to keep everyone safe. I will continue to perform my duties in future as well, ” a committed Shabir added.

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