A recovered Covid-19 patient has spoken of being ostracised by many in his Wimmera community.
The man told Wimmera Health Care Group team members supporting him that he had done the right thing but had still been treated poorly by ill-informed community members. He also said that the poor treatment was not universal with some showing a lot of care by reaching out to make sure he was coping well.
“I did all the right things and isolated when I came back from overseas and then I tested positive,” the man said.
“I stayed in isolation and was actually cleared of Covid-19 on April 5,” he said.
“Unfortunately though I have dealt with some vigilante behaviour that has come from people being ill-informed.
“I received a very serious phone call because someone had provided a false anonymous tip-off that I was driving around with people in my ute while in isolation.”
The man said in another incident one of his staff was initially denied a service in town because that business had been falsely told I was interacting with him.
“It is very disappointing behaviour from some people,” he said.
“I have been clear for two weeks but I am still isolating because I just want to be extra careful and I also want people to understand that those of us who have tested positive know how serious this is. “We don’t deserve to be treated poorly because it wasn’t our fault that we got it.”
Wimmera Health Care Group has urged the community to show kindness to people who contract Covid-19 and welcome them back into daily life after they are cleared of the virus. Infection control co-ordinator Rachel Baker said unfortunately some people being cared for by WHCG team members in the wake of their positive diagnosis had faced poor treatment.
“We want to remind people that all the positive cases we have had in our region did the right thing,” Mrs Baker said.
“They came back from overseas and isolated, then presented for testing after showing symptoms and isolated again until they were cleared,” she said.
“Once a Covid-19 patient is cleared, they are no longer a risk to the community.
“In fact, they are less a risk than someone who has not yet had the virus so please treat them with kindness and understanding.”