"나무에서 매일 떨어지는 기분"...40일만에 완치한 코로나 확진자가 들려주는 병상 이야기<br /><br />The novel coronavirus has impacted the lives of many 'ordinary' people, giving them indescribable suffering. Whilst some are in self-quarantine as a precaution, others have been stuck in hospital for several weeks at a time.<br />Our Choi Jeong-yoon spoke to a COVID-19 patient who has made a full recovery and was finally able to be released from hospital after almost 40 days.<br />It was just another ordinary day for Kwon Ji-ho, a university student from Seoul. That was until she woke up with a terrible sore throat, chills and a high fever.<br />At that moment she knew instantly that it was COVID-19.<br />"I was expecting what was to come... since a friend I saw recently told me she was in close contact with a confirmed patient. I got tested and the results came back positive a day later."<br />But, it didn't feel real until she was hospitalized and in a negative pressure chamber, a specially designed room to block the air from inside the hospital getting outside.<br />"It felt like I was trapped in a little box. I couldn't feel the wind, the sun, the air...anything. Considering its a virus I contracted, I couldn't talk to my friends about it. Depression kept eating me up but I just had to hang in there by myself, alone."<br />The hardest thing for Ms. Kwon was staying hopeful.<br />She got better every day but the tests results kept coming back as positive.<br />And, thinking that she could be released after just a few days, it eventually took her 40 days to finally step outside again.<br />"It was like falling out of a tree constantly...feeling like there's no exit. When I got better, I counted down the days. But the test results came out positive again and again. Repeating this 12 times, I couldn't see the end."<br />Last Sunday, she was released from hospital after test results came back as negative two times in a row. She says she wants to thank the medical team the most for their help.<br />"To be honest, I received an overwhelming amount of help. Seeing the doctors work day and night to take care of the patients, I was more than thankful. I felt lucky to be South Korean with all the medical support and well-organized facilities we have."<br />Kwon says anyone can contract the virus therefore people should refrain from harsh criticism of COVID-19 patients.<br />Emphasizing the importance of social distancing, she wished that South Korea and the world can recover from this pandemic as soon as possible. Choi Jeong-yoon, Arirang News.<br />
