Don't panic, says Samaresh Jung after winning COVID-19 battle

BENGALURU: Samaresh Jung has won many mind games as India's top pistol shooter, the crowning glory being the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games where he won the nickname ‘gold finger' after winning the best athlete award with a haul of seven medals including five gold.
But what Jung, now a coach of the national squad, won over the last three weeks in New Delhi was a tense battle against the coronavirus that has forced a new normal around the globe.
Recalling the tough times, Jung, 50, told TOI that after testing positive for Covid-19, there were times when nasty thoughts flashed across his mind. But he hung on to win the battle, with the government authorities giving him the certificate of good health on Sunday.
A deputy commandant with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Jung said he was not sure how he got infected as he rarely ventured out of his house in the national capital over the last three months, busy as he was with online training sessions.
"It started with a bout of cough and fever and I was tested on June 3. It returned a positive result in the next few days. Six members of my family including my wife Anuja, also a 2006 CWG gold medallist shooter, went down but they all have recovered. Luckily, it did not go worse in our house,” a relieved Jung, India's high performance pistol coach, said about his joint family.
Jung, whose father is a retired Army officer, said he was worried about his family members and took all precautions and the full course of medicines as he went into self isolation at home.
"I bought an oximeter to monitor the oxygen level in my blood. I also hired an oxygen concentrator and whenever there was a dip in oxygen levels I connected the machine. I had to use it for a couple of days,” the former champion said explaining how he converted his house into a mini polyclinic.
Recalling the days, when he had fever, Jung said: "I think I got a mild strain of the virus but still there were days when I felt like not moving out of my bed. I had to take paracetamol 650 every six hours whenever my fever went above 100. But then I was determined to come out of it.”
"My advice to the people is not to panic as I have come out of it. I felt as if it's like any other viral fever. But don't take it lightly and think that you won't get it. One should take all precautions and medicines. You may feel desperate at times but don't think too much about it and keep talking to others. You will surely come out of it.”