How I survived from Corona virus in Hungary

I was tested positive for COVID-19 while I was living in Budapest in October 2020. I was an international student and it was my last academic year. So, I was working as a background artist in the movie shootings while I was writing my thesis. During three-day movie shootings, everyone was getting tested for a quick test in the mornings. I was really tired during the shooting because I had to be there at 6 am every morning to dress up and the shooting lasted until 6 pm every day. On the first day, I didn't bring enough warm clothes because I thought it was going to be warm inside of the building. It turns out the building was without heat and they were blowing cold steam for the shooting. So, I felt really cold on the first day and I was extremely tired. I guess that made my immune system weaker and opened a door for the virus.

From the third day of the shooting, I started having diarrhoea and extreme tiredness. After shootings, I had a mouth ulcer under my tongue and it was difficult to eat because of the pain. Then I started having dry cough and feeling short of breath. I had a slight headache because of the coughing. I wanted to see a doctor and called to my private insurance CIGNA and they did not arrange an appointment because I had COVID-19 symptoms and hospitals were receiving only serious complicated patients during that time. So, they just dumped me without any help at all.

A week later, the production company sent an email that some people got tested positive for COVID-19 during the shooting and they offered free PCR tests for cast and crew. Once I receive this email, I was sure that I had corona because I already had symptoms. The PCR test was positive. So, I asked my Hungarian friend to call my district doctor (I don't speak Hungarian and Hungarians don't speak English) and they recommended I stay at home until I get better and advised me to call an ambulance if I have a high fever and cannot breathe. There is no cure for the COVID-19. So, the district doctor only advised me to buy some over the counter medicines for the common cold to ease the symptoms. I bought medicine for my dry cough from the pharmacy which is called Libexin. Luckily, the symptoms did not get worse but I had a dry cough for three weeks. It was annoying and I think it damaged my lungs permanently.

After I tested positive, no one checked me at my address because officials were putting a red sign on the doors of contracted people as a sign. So, they did not come to my home and I don't believe in statistics anymore. I informed my university that I had COVID-19 and did not go to the university for two weeks. After two weeks, I visited the university doctor when I was clear from the symptoms and he checked my breathing with a stethoscope. I was free to go outside because he gave me a letter that says I was recovered.

To summarize, my symptoms were:

• Extreme tiredness
• Mouth ulcer
• Diarrhoea
• Dry cough
• Headache
• I would not say that I lost my ability to smell and taste because I felt normal. But my roommate says that I lost my sense of smell for a while. 

In conclusion, it was a bad experience and nothing to wish for. Scientists still do not know much about this virus and I still may get sick from the new variants. Who knows this virus can develop what kind of complications in my body in the future. Only good thing is that I only had to take one shot of vaccination against the COVID-19. I will write more about how I received the vaccine in Germany in my next report. Stay with me!