WEDDING CHANNEL AFRICA

Nollywood veteran actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, recently opened up on her family’s experience with COVID 19. A couple of days ago, the actress revealed on her Instagram that she had tested positive for the virus. However, in response to a debate discussing measures Nollywood can strictly adhere to the COVID 19 health guidelines, on a WhatsApp group for filmmakers, Filmic, the actress shared her experience with the virus recalling that she contracted the disease on a movie set. “I hardly fall ill and so when I left the set and started having chills the next day or so, I knew something wasn’t right. I thought it might be stress. This was on Monday, August 3. I waited till Tuesday and it got worse. I was shaking uncontrollably and my temperature was going through the roof,” she said.

The 42 year old mother of four, continued narrating how she eventually tested positive and infected her daughter and asthmatic son with the virus. “My spirit told me immediately, this is not malaria or fever. I have been extremely careful and paranoid about this COVID-19 stuff. So I told hubby I needed to be tested immediately. I have a son that has Asthma! They came to test me on Wednesday and my result came out on Thursday evening … Positive. My world crashed. I felt crazy and empty. My symptoms were high fever and chills… luckily no other. But it was so bad, they contemplated coming to evacuate me as my viral loaf was high and I wasn’t getting better … but God arose for me. I went into isolation immediately. We got my result but my daughter started feeling funny. So they had to come test the whole family … I had infected my daughter and asthmatic son! My God showed up for me as my son is asymptomatic, so positive but not sick! My daughter lost her smell and taste and had severe diarrhea.”

Omotola added that her family is fine now and would be taking another test soon. “All has stopped now, thank God. My husband and last son tested negative respectively. We are all now in remission … taking another test soon. It’s physically, spiritually and emotionally exhausting as the doctors tell you it’s a 50/50 chance. Nothing you do really saves you. You can only take the vitamins, manage the symptoms and hope your body fights.”

She went on to stress the need for a safe work environment in the movie industry, advising people to stop doubting the dangers of the virus. “Please this thing is real and we must come together to find the safest way to work and protect ourselves. I was one of the most careful persons you’d ever meet concerning COVID-19. Imagine if I believed because of that I couldn’t have been infected… I wish I wasn’t … but I was … I could have been going out and kept on infecting others.”