The Covid-19 and Travails of Survivors in Vhembe District

Abstract

South Africa, like many other countries globally is affected by the novel coronavirus, “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)”, which is a transmittable disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The virus emerged from China Wuhan in 2019. As a pandemic, this virus ripped the economic sector, the health sector, political sector and the social life in general. Its symptoms ranges from mild self-limited disease to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, and even systemic multiple organ failure syndrome. In the absence of medication for treatment, changes in social life has been very imperative in curbing the virus. For example, social distancing, avoiding groups, sanitising and wearing of masks which affects the social life of human beings.
This research use content analysis method to qualitatively analyse the travails of COVID-19 survivors in Vhembe who were infected by the pandemic and survived. By using snowball sampling method, the researcher selected 4 males and 6 females who are survivors of Covid-19 regardless of whether they were hospitalised or not. The inclusion criteria included (1) males and females who tested positive for COVID-19. (2) Vhembe people who are South Africans. The results found that patients experienced the disease differently. They have different views on the physical and social experience on both infection and interpretation of the pandemic. The study found that social life is compromised and as social beings people are affected both physically, mentally and socially. The study zoomed at the area less researched touching Covid-19 writings and social life implications for knowledge generation purposes.

Keywords: COVID-19, experiences, social implications and survivors