The COVID-19 vaccine is becoming more accessible, restrictions are starting to be slowly lifted. But that does not mean the virus is gone and we can let our guard down.

When I first was informed I tested positive for COVID-19, I was in genuine shock and did not know what to feel.

I felt like this pandemic could not affect me just because I had managed to avoid the sickness for almost two years.

Although I was exposed to it at a protest with more than 5,000 people, I was still in denial that I was the needle in the haystack to contract it.

Once it sunk in, I immediately informed my family members and then shut the door on myself in my room. I was then given wipes to sanitize my whole room. At this point the only symptom I had was a sore throat.

The third day after testing positive is when I started noticing other symptoms.

I went from just a sore throat to experiencing light stomach aches and diarrhea as well.

It was a very surreal experience to be limited to a certain amount of space in my own house, that space being just my room and the bathroom a couple steps outside the door.

Days five through nine were by far the most harsh. Symptoms expanded to loss of taste and smell. Those were definitely the hardest symptoms to deal with from a mental aspect.

It is truly a surreal experience to eat food but not taste it, basically just eating textures.

I never really noticed how much of a luxury it is to just go downstairs, open the fridge, and get something without the worry of hurting anyone in the process.

My family has been bringing me food and water for the past 11 days. It is very frightening to even think about the possibility of getting my family sick, as my father is high risk. I have recently realized that I can only control so much, and I cannot let thoughts like this consume me.

The most frustrating thing about this whole ordeal was not being able to give a proper goodbye to my sister and my niece before they moved. This sickness does indeed make one feel isolated.

I have learned that having the mindset of being young and invincible does not get you very far. 

The process of getting my schoolwork done has become less efficient, but I am thankful that I was able to get ahead on most of my work, which allowed me to rest for a couple days.

I have noticed my attention span not being as long, so I’ve started to do my schoolwork in little time blocks.

Once I hit the 10th day, I regained my smell and taste. I have noticed something very different with this sickness.

It feels as though I feel different every couple hours, whether it’s a symptom that pops up again just to go away after a bit.

Symptoms that started on day 10 are feeling weird sensations in my stomach, and shortness of breath/heavy chest.

Battling COVID-19 is like a game of WHAC-A-MOLE, just different symptoms popping up, and going down after a short amount of time.

As of right now (11th day) I still have symptoms. However, I expect to feel better and get retested within the next coming four to five days. 

Even with the vaccine being more accessible, the pandemic is not over. Continue wearing masks to protect yourself and others, use hand sanitizer and wash hands frequently if you touch surfaces.  

Daniel Elmoussa is a Thunderword staff reporter.