Former Harambee Stars defender and skipper Musa Otieno has broken his silence after recovering from COVID-19, saying he is lucky to be alive.
Terming his experience as scary, the 46-year-old he contracted the disease while distributing food to vulnerable families in Nairobi’s Maringo area, where he grew up.
He was admitted to Mbagathi Hospital on June 26.
Otieno, who was discharged on July 5, re-tested negative for the novel coronavirus on Monday last week at Kenyatta National Hospital after finishing 14-day self-isolation.
“I thank God for everything. At the moment, I’m feeling much better compared to the first few days when I was admitted at Mbagathi Hospital. I can now walk around and I don’t have those Covid-19 symptoms anymore; chest pains, coughing, fever and sore throat,” he said.
According to the retired footballer, it had never occurred to him that he could contract Covid-19.
“It’s just unfortunate that I got it while on duty distributing foodstuff to the vulnerable groups. I wasn’t feeling well and I went to Mbagathi Hospital for a test.”
As a sportsman, Otieno said he always tried to stay fit through regular training and had not visited a hospital for a long. However, this time he had to stay in the hospital for 11 days, and that “taught me a lot”.
“My biggest problem was that I was struggling to breathe. There was no fitness anymore, and I just wanted to get better and leave the hospital,” he said.
Musa Otieno also revealed that he has faced stigmatization. “This is not something that anybody would like to contract by socialising with you. Sometimes when I get out of the house or walk in the neighbourhood, I see people pointing at me,” he said.
Speaking on life in isolation, the TV and radio football pundit said: “Once I was discharged I felt like I had already overcome the battle. Yes, I was going back to my house under restrictions with no visits, but it came with some freedom; I could do anything I want in my house.”
Adding: “The first three days were a bit difficult for me because I wasn’t used to staying in the house but after the fourth day, I started adapting to the new lifestyle.”
