Exclusive: The story of a Vizag lad’s 55-day battle with Covid-19

In this pandemic situation, we have heard many tragic stories of Covid-19 affected people. While many could not, unfortunately, fight back, there were those that returned home to their families. Yo! Vizag shares the story of a young Covid-19 survivor who fought for 55 days in the hospital and came back home on Friday. Meet 22-year-old Dasari Sai Pawan Prakash, of Payakaraopeta in Visakhapatnam District, who survived Covid-19 after a long battle with the disease. 

Studying engineering final year at Kakinada College, Sai Pawan got affected with Covid-19 in May 2021, with his saturation levels dropping. It was at the peak of the second wave when many patients were struggling to get a bed in the hospital and Pawan had to face a similar problem. Fortunately, he got a bed in Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) Hospital and was admitted with severe Covid-19 symptoms. He also had an overweight condition, suffering from Hypothyroidism which presented a challenging situation to the doctors at VIMS. 

As he was the youngest of the patients, most of the doctors who treated Pawan were attached to him, giving their best everyday to save him. “I did not even imagine how I came back home. I saw deaths at the hospital and patients recovering to go back home with happy faces and I wondered when I would go back home,” said Pawan. Being on ventilator support, Pawan had seen the worst of his life but he stood strong fighting against Covid-19. “Since the first day, doctors at VIMS were supportive for me to come out of the stress I had during Covid-19 in hospital. Their smiling faces helped me to deal with the everyday struggle I was facing,” shared Pawan. 

Talking about Sai Pawan’s case, VIMS Director, K Ram Babu said “Probably, he is the youngest Covid-19 survivor to have fought as long as 55 days with the disease. He had a drop in saturation levels to 75 and other health complications that became quite tough for our team. In the time he was at the hospital, Pawan was kept on oxygen, ICU and ventilator support. He witnessed all the highs and lows of the pandemic while at the hospital. It became a challenge when Pawan’s condition was becoming normal and then, again becoming critical. We became so attached to that boy that we decided to save him and send him back home safely. When he got depressed about his condition, we gave him counseling and took care of his mental health as well.”

Dasari Sai Pawan Prakash has been one of the few young Covid-19 survivors. His story of surviving Covid-19 shall inspire many other patients in Vizag to keep on fighting and not give up during this pandemic.