By Cuma Sari
SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) – A Turkish man who contracted the COVID-19 disease and survived, but lost his mother to the virus, urged everyone to take the outbreak seriously and adopt essential precautionary measures.
After Omer Siga, 47, felt exhausted with muscle pain, he was rushed to a health facility where he was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus infection.
Having been prescribed medical drugs, Siga left the hospital. But his condition deteriorated with body temperature rising. He was then referred to Siverek State Hospital in Sanliurfa.
He successfully recovered from the disease, but his mother was not so lucky. She passed away due to the disease.
“One realizes the significance of life after one contracts the virus; it is like sacrificing all your properties for a minute of breathing,” he said, adding he had no idea how dangerous the virus was.
“This disease does not discriminate,” he said, adding all segments of society, whether rich or poor, are at risk and, therefore, should take precautions.
He said his mother lost her life three days after contracting the virus, lamenting he could not even make it to her burial rituals.
Turkey's overall infection count stood over 286,400. The death toll jumped to 6,895 with 58 more patients dying in the past 24 hours. More than 255,400 people have recovered from the virus.
The global pandemic has claimed over 910,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since it originated in China last December.
The US, India, Brazil, Russia, and Peru are currently the worst-hit countries.
More than 28.2 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 19 million, according to the Johns Hopkins data.
