Zunckel who is forever changed by contracting Covid-19 and fighting for his life in a Free State private hospital this past month says he started exhibiting symptoms in late August after a trip to Bethulie from Johannesburg which coincided with a visit by his parents from Cape Town. At that stage the media consultant was half vaccinated and adhering to Covid-19 pharmaceutical protocols as best as he could.

He reveals it all started with a sporadic dry cough, mild fatigue and a loss in taste which led him to consulting a Bloemfontein doctor he was familiar with. A positive Covid-19 test result and a prescription to cortisone related medication amongst others soon followed that doctor’s visit, 2hrs away from Bethulie.  The situation worsened in the days following the visit to the doctor requiring hospitalisation. Zunckel says the Thursday before he was hospitalised, he was really struggling.  “By that stage I started going blue around the mouth. My fingernails also started to change colour. My breathing was incredibly shallow” reveals Zunckel. He says it felt like an unfit person, running up a flight of stairs and being out of breath, except for hours.

He was transported to Busamed Hospital just outside Bloemfontein from Bethulie and given oxygen. He was later informed that he was given the bed of a 27-year-old man who had died from Covid-19. A fact that scared him. The renowned media specialist says those statistics that we hear on the daily had now touched home. The entire ordeal made him realise how much frontline health workers were suffering during this pandemic.

Zunckel believes had he not had his first Pfizer shot prior to contracting the virus, the situation could have been worse. After 15 days and a constant supply of oxygen in hospital, the media consultant was able to continue recovering at home without being intubated. He urges everyone to get vaccinated, as this is the best way to avoid contracting the deadly virus like he did.

OFM News