I've not written too much about Covid-19, in part because Senegal had pretty much escaped its grip until recently and so it was having little impact on my day-to-day life (well, apart from it costing me my job of course!). However, we now have our third wave of the virus in Senegal, and it is much worse than the first and second waves. A couple of weeks ago our new daily case count shot up from 40 to some 1,300, and whilst it now hovers around 600-700 a day, they are also reporting that the test centres are overwhelmed and turning people away, that Dakar's hospitals are full, and that there is no oxygen left which has been responsible for some of the recent deaths. Restrictions are slowly being reintroduced; the Senegalese wrestling match I'd planned to go to this Saturday has been cancelled, masks are now compulsory in the street as well as on public transport and in the shops, and there is talk of international and long-distance transport being stopped. I can't imagine that concerts and nightclubs will be able to continue for much longer.
So this week I've stayed at home rather more than I would have in normal times (there doesn't seem much point in risking a crowded bus when mask-wearing has still to be fully enforced) - but hadn't banked on the virus visiting the apartment where I live.
One of my flatmates is a young French woman, who likes to party. Not long after moving in she had a two-day-long cocaine- and alcohol-fuelled binge with a few friends in her room - didn't really bother me but the Senegalese flatmate who sublets to us knew who the friends were, and was not happy (the Congolese friend is apparently a known local drug-dealer). So the French woman was instructed not to bring them here again, and now meets them elsewhere (including out in the street in front of our building) and sometimes comes home in the early hours drunk and/or under the influence of various drugs, including (we think) marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy. Her poorly controlled behaviour has already resulted in her getting an infected foot (infected somehow by sea urchin spines!?) and being robbed of both her camera and two mobile phones in three separate events, and I sent an irritated message to her this morning when I found that the kitchen light had been left on all night as well as the gas burning away under an empty saucepan. She admitted responsibility and apologised, but explained that she felt ill - and asked whether I could make enquiries about her getting a Covid test.
Fortunately our Senegalese flatmate was able to organise a private test for her through her employer's insurance scheme, so two medics showed up and did the test here. Strongly positive. So the rest of us also got tested, and were relieved to find that we were negative - although I was intrigued to be told that my test showed that I had been exposed to the virus but had successfully fought it off, possibly aided by the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine that I had in early April. Thankfully some more AZ vaccine is expected in the country next week, so I should finally be able to get my second shot.
So, a day of drama! Of course the infected flatmate has been instructed to stay in her room, but as we don't trust her to do so, my other flatmate is trying to use her employer insurance cover to somehow find somewhere else for her to go asap. Not sure that she'll have much luck given that all Dakar hospitals are supposed to be full.
This evening I had planned to go up to a nearby hotel roof terrace where a DJ plays good dance music every Thursday evening, but I know people there will not be wearing masks and so have decided to be more sensible and spend another evening in my room. It will be interesting to see where all this heads - how badly the country will be hit - whilst feeling comforted at a personal level that the risk for me seems relatively low.
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