Reality of Covid-19 only hits you after you lose a loved one: Bushra Ansari

Actor recalls how some well-wishers who visited her to pay their respects were also infected but didn't stay home.

Bushra Ansari and Asma Abbas’s sister, actor Sumbul Shahid passed away in Lahore recently after battling Covid-19 for weeks.

Sumbul was fighting for her life on the ventilator after contracting the deadly virus. Both Bushra and Asma had been consistently requesting their fans to make a prayer for her health.

But days after her passing, the Zebaish actor gathered the courage to make a video for her fans, to thank them for their prayers and condolences, while warning them about Covid-19.

“You all saw a few days ago I lost my sister Sumbul Shahid. We receive a lot of information about Covid-19 but we truly understand what the panic is all about when someone really close to our hearts leaves this world because of it,” remarked the veteran.

She went on to thank her well-wishers and reminisce the inseparable bond she shared with Sumbul.”Everyone loves their siblings, and when you have sisters, the bond is even stronger. The four of us, loved each other very much. We talked the same way, listened to the same music and sang together. If you think I’m entertaining, then I’ll have you know that Sumbul was the funniest most entertaining member of our family,” she asserted.

“But we are grateful you guys sent us so many of your prayers. Sumbul was already going through a lot, she had lost her son recently, maybe he called her up there I guess,” said the producer emotionally. “I had to gather all my strength to speak to you guys today,” she added. “I would like to address the frontline workers, who are still adjusting to all this, and ask them to please mark the positive patients’ reports with a red mark,” advised the Aangan Terha star.

Bushra detailed how she also cames across so many individuals who are taking the virus lightly. “There are so many people around me who say things like, ‘I had a bad throat so I took medicine and now I’m fine,’ and they’re meeting other people, going out, taking flights. So many people have a fever and they’re treating it with Panadol, thinking they’re going to be fine the next day.”

She also recalled how some of her loved ones, who visited her to pay their respect upon Sumbul’s passing. They confessed to having body aches, but told her the fatigue was because of the shock. “Then when they went home, they developed a fever. One needs to understand that symptoms start showing only after your body has been fighting the virus for some time now,” reinstated Bushra.

“A lot of people are not taking the consequences of Covid-19 into consideration and the people who are warning them – people like us – are being vehmi (superstitious). But now we have lost our sister and others should understand it wasn’t because of a vehem,” she assured.

The comedian, singer and playwright then urged her viewers to isolate themselves the moment they feel they have a sour throat, body ache or any symptoms related to Covid-19. “Don’t endanger other people’s lives. You don’t have a sour throat because you drank cold water yesterday, understand that,” concluded Bushra.

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