of course we've been seeing a lot of
attacks on people based on race but also
just based on the fact that they have
coronavirus I think it's highlighting
differences it's not necessarily
disagree hi my name is Angela Sun and in
Los Angeles California and I am a
journalist and documentary filmmaker
hi I'm Pascale and I live in Luxembourg
in Europe and I working my teeth
hi I'm Megan from Cape Town South Africa
and I'm a businesswoman and our media
hi I'm Joe Los Angeles California and I
create YouTube videos
hi I'm common I'm an integrative medical
doctor and health coach and I'm based in
Devon South Africa hi my name is Joe I'm
a physician in the emergency room in
Connecticut and also in the intensive
care unit on KO bida bida
I've got I would die from coronavirus
three two one go
[Music]
I never get sick and then all the
symptoms just hit you at once and they
don't stop and it gets worse and worse
and worse I've never lost my vision
before like that I've never been so weak
before in my life and like even my
girlfriend she thought that she was
gonna come in I was just thinking there
especially at the beginning was a very
scary experience
there were nights where I woke up and it
was gasping for air and I couldn't
breathe at all and I developed insomnia
afterwards because every time I went to
bed at night I was like I don't want to
go to sleep because I'm gonna die like
during my sleep so it was it was very
very stressful at some point I didn't
think I was gonna die but when I had to
go to the emergency room and I'll never
forget I had such a problem breathing I
really got concerned at that point that
I was suddenly gonna get much much worse
and end up on a ventilator you guys I'm
so sorry to hear that you was so sick oh
my goodness that's terrible
I had symptoms the weakness really was
the thing that that bothered me and then
you kind of always have this thing in
your mind like is this gonna get worse
is this gonna get worse and then just
day by day something getting better and
better and I was like wow I couldn't
believe I didn't have a fever I didn't
have the shortness of breath none of
that stuff
once I turned the corner I definitely
knew that I was over the worst
coronavirus has prompted racism and
xenophobia 3 2 1 go what where I work
the people are having the worst time the
people who are intubated and the people
who are making it African Americans and
Latinos it kind of explains that there
are massive social differences between
our different populations in America and
that's a real issue as the data comes
out we're just gonna see how much it
attacks the underserved and minorities
and it's awful as Asian American
experiencing this in Australia what I
did go to the market I had my mask my
gloves on to go shopping to you know
protect myself and other people I had
someone take pictures of me and they're
all staring at me no
let me just get out of here just get out
so I'm from the Bay Area so I was
hearing these stories for a champ from
France who were being spat on who yelled
at called names I've seen a lot of the
videos and I've seen about the stabbing
in Texas and so I think it's such a
regression from where we were moving
forward to which was the bridging of
cultures and it's just really
unfortunate so I was very fortunate to
join one of the organizations that I
have contributed to putting food parcels
together for the huge number of people
in South Africa who are really hungry
right now because they just do not have
means to get food on their table I got
to see how so many communities are
coming together to try and solve the
problems that we are all being faced not
because of who you are a wave come from
but simply because the corona is
affecting your life right now racism is
something that South Africa has been
dealing with for a very long time but I
think from that day and just
experiencing the way that so many
communities are coming together it was
such a positive uplifting day of course
we've been seeing a lot of attacks on
people yes based on race but also just
based on the fact that they have
coronavirus and so I think that you know
it's difficult to say is it really truly
a racism thing or is it just a response
to fear
and maybe corona infection looks a
certain way to certain people and maybe
that's highlighting some of the
underlying discrimination that we've
perhaps already there I think it's
highlighting differences it's not
necessarily race-based
but I absolutely disagree and I think it
is absolutely race-based
because you guys are naraka in America
maybe not South Africa I think not South
Africa but in America and in parts of
Australia where there have been huge
there have been hate crimes people have
gotten beat up simply because they're
able
it's a massive deal like it sucks
it sucks that my mom is freaking out
about going to the grocery store because
they target older Asian people because
they can
we didn't really get any you know racist
reactions over here but I can understand
Angela and I'm really really sorry this
is happening over there I'm gonna choose
my words carefully here but if there are
leaders very high on top that's called
virus Kong flu or the China virus I
think that is influencing the population
i infected someone else with the virus
three two one oh I definitely gave it to
my girlfriend she was taking care of me
and she starts feeling even worse than I
was was just nuts to see like the
person-to-person transfer of how like I
had it pretty bad and she had it worse
and like she had migraines and headaches
really three weeks four weeks we got
sick when we were overseas on our ski
trip in Switzerland and we traveled home
being sick and having full sentence but
having no idea that it was Corona when
we got home we didn't notify the airline
that we had tested positive and we left
it up to them to notify all of the
passengers etc but I've got no way of
knowing whether we infected anyone on
the plane or not we have a downstairs
basement and I went into corona
quarantine for two weeks we have five
kids all together a full week Oh baby
who I actually still haven't picked up
its really very sucky
ah because I get to get near him and
I've tested negative twice now from my
nose but we're really a little concerned
so we just I don't pick up the bailey
which sucks because he's my third song
and I don't get to the scene but you
know have the changes doctor either so
there's my country has handled code
mid-nineteen better than other countries
here yes two one go
[Music]
so I kind of agree for my country I know
that we went on lockdown we weren't
allowed to go out the government sent us
free masks over when old master
unavailable we get free tests as well we
get serology tests so to see if we are
immuno not so we're doing a lot here but
I only know from this place but I don't
know from from the other places so I'd
like to hear what's going on in the
world from the perspective of
experiencing it in Australia at the time
I felt like my rights were being
infringed on a bit because I was
literally put in the hospitai station
all that difference and had it we just
told to stay home and quarantine and
isolate for 14 days we were told he
would get a fine like a hefty fine if we
even tried to leave or anything for my
Australian friends perspective and other
people's perspective from a place that
has been a personal health care they
were thinking wow she's getting the
treatment that she needs and I can't
believe they're doing it bother beyond
for foreigners I'm just talking
medically if we could have contact
traced the way Angela studied in
Australia and if everyone could have
been tested quickly we'd worked out that
everyone just needs to isolate that if
we're wearing masks and we're not
getting close to each other you're not
going to spread it we could have done in
the beginning a better job I think we
now have it together and I do think that
we've all realized quite how serious
this actually is I think this is a
really tough question to answer because
I think it's impossible for one country
to handle and every single aspect of
this disease and the knock-on effects of
its perfectly and I mean like I feel
proud of the way that my president has
been addressing us and handling this but
at the same time I've got a lot of
questions about what's going on and why
the certain decisions are being made to
dovetail and Megan because we're both
South African coming from the medical
perspective in this country and it's
difficult to say that we did things
better than other countries but I do
think that we acted incredibly for a
developing nation I think the fact that
we went into lockdown so early the fact
that I saw the drastic change from the
healthcare system just a couple months
ago we we really were not
paid so what it is now I can honestly
say that we have done a lot I think that
we should be incredibly proud of
ourselves as South Africa the media has
blown kovat 19 out of proportion
[Music]
three-two-one and I just want to say
this is not in any way to attack you as
a journalist but I will say that some of
the panic that started in the beginning
I really thought the press was a little
irresponsible my patients are terrified
that everybody is just going to die and
this is gonna be it it's gonna be 15th
century or 12th century Europe and there
was one famous two magazine and it the
line was this is how Corona is gonna
kill you and I thought to myself that is
not helpful I can't really speak for
American media even though I am part of
the American media because I missed that
frenzy
you know I've shared my story on on my
socials and just because I think when
you personalize it it becomes real when
it's your friend right all of us our
friends have probably told us like wow
like you telling me about it or just
knowing that you had it makes it so much
more real for me I think there's just no
balance as far as everyone's just trying
to get like the worst because that's
what's gonna get the most clicks I've
been documenting my whole story from the
beginning and posting on Facebook and
YouTube and the number one responses
thank you for sharing that like you can
heal you can be better like I filmed us
going to the drive-thru line getting
tested they're like oh my god this is
happening whereas like everyone's just
seeing like oh this is the hospital room
this is where people are dying I thought
my largest view on Facebook was when I
was sick and I did this for a specific
reason I wasn't trying to self promote I
was trying to explain this is actually
what happens and we are gonna be okay
which is one of the reasons why I like
this panel is that this is people who've
kicked coverage they won and COBIT lost
because everyone just thinks they're
gonna be the 2% we're just not gonna
make it when public as well and so gave
a few interviews on TV here and to the
newspapers just to inform people that
not everybody is dying from this you
know like joe said i also got some
feedback unfortunately from people who
looked at me as if i was like some sort
of monster
it was my mistake that I had contracted
Kovac 19 yeah I just I wanted to income
people and I did it's a pandemic okay so
it's got all the makings of a potential
sensationalized story I think we have to
remember that according to you know what
we can see from the media that there's a
general trend and I think now a little
bit more than usual for like click
Beatty stories but I think that they are
some responsible media outlets and
responsible journalists out there I
think there's a difficult one to try and
balance
I support stay-at-home orders three two
one go
everybody needs to wear masks everybody
needs to social distance and everyone
needs to be sensible about this and if
we do that I think on a limited fashion
we can get on and a lot of industries
that are able to start moving forward
can move the sword there was such an
obvious reduction when we have social
distancing I don't think we all need to
be home though I think we can go out it
depends on how we do that it's I think
you just need to be smart with what
you're doing
two days ago is the first time I went
out in public I went to the bank and
there was just one guy without a mask
and just seeing him walk by me was like
terrifying well I did an immunity test
to see if I was immuno for the virus and
apparently I'm not immune anymore so I
think we should continue to be very
careful and stay at home I think it's a
good idea people who are so very
vulnerable to getting severe infection
should be staying at home but I
definitely do think on the other side of
that that the economy does need to start
reopening for example in South Africa we
have a huge portion of the population
that is unemployed and as a result of
this lockdown that has driven those
people even into a worse situation and
so it cannot continue like this
indefinitely all I can speak to is
California and specifically LA the
population density here does not really
allow for proper social distancing what
I asked the doctor the infectious
disease specialist he was saying that he
doesn't think it can properly reopen and
the stay at home waters be lifted until
there was a scientific advancement I do
agree that we should at least in my
specific area still heed the orders I
don't like being told us I don't like I
don't like having to stay at home but do
I think it's the right thing to do
yeah I mean not all said don't think
that we have enough information to make
the decision we've gotta trust in our
leaders and so whatever decisions on
leaders are making it's up to us to
stick to that because I think that
whatever that decision is the most
important thing is that we all act
together to get through it I know
someone who has died from corona virus
three two one go that's that somebody
who once hired me to do a job he got it
and when he went to the hospital it was
before they had the available testing
they told him they think he has it and
for him to not come back because he had
it and he ended up passing away like I
think two days later yeah one of the
jobs I had was at the Medical Research
Council and the lead researcher doing
incredible work in HIV women's health
and preventative mitts and unfortunately
after coming back from the UK to come to
Kovac 19 I lost a friend and mentor from
aja and the asian-american Jones
Association she's a CBS journalist and
one of the first in New York to contract
and unfortunately passed and like it's
just not fair right like help them we're
here and they're not and then another
instance where I know someone who has
been affected with the knock-on effect
of committing suicide because of being
in isolation and having mental health
issues from before but this definitely
exacerbated that I have had multiple I
mean countless patients who died of
corona
over the last three to three months more
than I've really ever seen at some point
all the doctors are gonna have to try
and process what we just saw and it's
just awful to watch and you know the
saddest thing is is that a lot of the
time they're dying alone you just as a
human it's just awful that this person's
by himself but his family is trying to
face time in it just the whole thing is
tragic it's tragic this has changed my
life forever
three two one go
[Music]
I have been in quarantine with my
parents and I'm nine locked down at my
parent and a quality time that I've been
able to spend with my family I would
never have been able to spend and I've
value this time so so hugely that's
changed me for the positive I have a
better relationship with everyone in my
family as a result the interviews that
I've done and the people that I've
spoken to and the sort of doors that
have been open to me from that
perspective as has also changed my life
yeah it was fun with me you know my 18
year old teenage son to be you know home
with him it changed my life because I've
really been this sick I don't think I've
ever been distich actually so if you'll
agree it's it's always a very
interesting experience when you go from
one side of medicine to the other so
from being the healer to being the
patient that experience and that shift
in the dynamic is a really eye-opening
experience with the uncertainty in the
questions and the lack of control and
just you know shifting your mindset
media interest has been phenomenal as
well it's very important for all of us
to be speaking about our experience
because it adds to what we were saying
earlier about being some balance into
the story that's being narrated to the
people who are waiting and watching the
one thing I want to say about plasma is
I think there's a beauty to the idea
that you beat Corona and now you're
gonna save somebody else's or
potentially multiple people's lives and
that is the most unifying thing it
doesn't matter the race it doesn't
matter the class you are gonna save
somebody's life that you're never ever
gonna meet if you give them your plasma
I was able to give one bag and the
nurses were treating me like I was like
God's gift you want each bag can save
four people and they're saying that
they're seeing results literally the
next day where people are turning around
like a hundred percent and that's just
like the most fulfilling thing to really
hear I have like my next appointment in
a couple weeks and you're able to give
it every month so if anyone has it or
anyone watching you can help out and
give up you know I think this pandemic
has brought the best and the worst out
of people
the thing that I
afterwards that working it together
wherever you are in the world we're
always do the same thing and that is a
wrap thank you I want to show everybody
my t-shirt by the way just in case oh
good for you good for you
[Music]