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Covid positive Shrenu Parikh on stigmas around the virus: People are still hiding their test results as they fear getting judged
Ishqbaaz actor Shrenu Parikh urges everyone to get tested on time, reveal their diagnosis and accept the fact that they are not alone in this fight against Covid-19.
Calling it an “invisible demon”, actor Shrenu Parikh, who recently tested positive for Covid-19, says it has instilled so much fear in people that many are not even getting tests done in the first place. And that’s the worst part, says the actor, who is back from the hospital and is in home quarantine in Vadodara, while adding that the stigma related to the virus is affecting more lives than the virus itself.
“These stigmas are stopping people from getting their tests and treatments done. Many worry about what people will think of them if they test positive. I think the fear and acceptance is scary than the virus itself. Remember, you’re not an embarrassment, you are a victim of something that the whole world is fighting right now,” she adds.
Parikh also highlights that hiding ones diagnosis is wrong. “Chances are that this one person might infect more people. Kuchh log yeh soch rahe hain ki unhone kuch paap kiya hai,” says the actor, who talks about how worried she and her entire family were when her test results came.
The actor shares that she started getting her symptoms from June 5, it started with normal cold, and by June 7 she got fever. While she was in touch with her doctor, who said it might be a viral, Parikh could feel something was wrong.
“My parents and brother were like ‘you don’t go out much, why would you have it’? But I was really worried and started maintaining distance. The turning point was when I lost my sensation of smell... I couldn’t smell anything starting from the black coffee that my brother would make me every day, to sanitsiers, strongest room freshners, itars, perfumes… I got tested on June 9 and hospitalised on June 10,” she adds.
Parikh urges everyone to be considerate. “We informed house helps, neighbours and the people I shot with. Everyone should know about the diagnosis and act accordingly. I must thank all these people around who have been supportive towards me and my family. Many from the industry and my fans also extended support,” she says.
The actor adds it isn’t easy to fight such a virus. “Your brain psyches you out. But I keep telling myself I’ll overcome,” she shares
Meanwhile, Parikh, last seen in Ek Bhram...Sarvagun Sampanna, has been getting offers. Ask about her plans to return to Mumbai and join work and she adds, “I thought I would resume. But then I went for this photo shoot in Vadodara and this happened. So now I am all the more scared. I won’t take up anything unless I am sure about it.”
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