Even with shield of faith, Christian warns all to wear mask
Published:Tuesday | March 23, 2021 | 12:18 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
COVID-19 was the last thing on the mind of Verez Brown when she ventured out to the wake of a resident who had passed in January.
Little did the woman of Fairfield district, St Catherine, know that the dreaded pandemic she had sought to evade would take her in its clutches.
Brown, who is in her 50s, said that a seven-day ordeal with the worst of the respiratory disease has increased her faith in God.
She suspects that she caught the virus at the nine-night, as her ordeal unfolded seven days later.
“I had a mask on while I was in the company of two women for the two hours or so that I was at the nine-night. What I did wrong was I had it under my chin instead of covering my mouth and nose,” she admitted.
Brown and others could be at risk of being fined if Parliament passes legislation proposed to crack down on breaches of COVID-19 safety protocols.
Symptoms
Like many persons, the symptoms crept up on her. First, she began feeling weak and fell down while carrying water downhill towards her house. A temperature and a persistent cough finally convinced her to see a doctor. She was diagnosed with the flu and prescribed antibiotics.
Then her taste and sense of smell faded – robbing her of enjoyment of a favoured ‘tough crackers’.
She finally yielded to pressure from her sons to visit the health centre in Brown’s Hall, St Catherine. In less than 48 hours, she learnt she was positive.
Brown relied on a cocktail of local herbs to battle her cough – boiling dandelion, black sage, and chainy root.
The woman of faith credited God’s grace for sparing her family, including her six-year-old grandson, from contracting the virus.
But she became the subject of ostracism and shame – one of many Jamaicans who have been the victims of stigma and discrimination.
“Many criticised me, many passed all kind of remarks, they all stayed away. Even after I was declared COVID-free, taxis refused to take me, but I knew that God would deliver me.
“It wasn’t the doctor nor the stuff I drank, but God who delivered me,” she told The Gleaner.
Brown has not emerged from COVID-19 unscathed, though. Since her infection, she now struggles with elevated blood pressure levels, a complaint she never had before. Shortly after her recovery, she also experienced short-term memory loss.
Even though her faith is anchored in the supernatural, Brown is a loud advocate for the wearing of face masks – and not under the chin.
“My advice to anyone who might contract the virus is, prove God, put Him to the test, but also wear the mask the right way,” she said.
“Make sure it cover both nose and mouth, because it’s not a good experience to have COVID-19.”