PETALING JAYA: The impact of stigma and discrimination due to Covid-19 could be more stressful than being infected with the disease, experts say.

       Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib said that despite having recovered from Covid-19, some people were still stigmatised and faced difficulties in public.

       “Some of the Covid-19 related stigma and discrimination include (the fact that) people who are sick with Covid-19 or have recovered from the infection are seen as people who should be feared or avoided; former patients are seen as threats to society,” he said.

       He added that some people who contracted the virus were also fired from their jobs, excluded or expelled from their communities.

       “This has caused massive problems of mental health such as depression, self-harm, violence and even suicidal ideation.

       “We know that being compassionate and empathetic towards others will help increase the support received by those who need it, especially by patients, former patients and their families,” Azrul said.

       Taylor’s University psychology programme director Assoc Prof Dr Anasuya Jegathevi Jegathesan said there was a case of a former Covid-19 patient who had panic attacks, anxiety and sleeping problems even though she was not publicly stigmatised.

       “(Self-stigma) is an individual’s belief where one feels it was their fault that they contracted the virus and got sick. While she (the patient) was talking to her colleague, she kept thinking that her incompetency had caused her to be infected by the virus,” she added.

       She said such unnecessary thoughts made her former patient more anxious even when nobody around her was stigmatising her.

       A customer service executive from Kuala Lumpur contracted the virus a month ago and is pregnant with her second child.

       The 30-year-old, who wants to remain anonymous, said the stigma could even start among people who had contracted the virus.

       “I heard from those I met in the quarantine centre that even having recovered from the virus, the individual can still infect others. We need to stop sharing unverified rumours that might create uneasiness among the public,” she added.

       In June 2020, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that based on research, those who have recovered would not infect others, contrary to such rumours.

       Civil engineer Chan Chee Kong, 25, said although he did not directly encounter any stigma from the public, he said the experience was really stressful.

       “When I first tested positive, it was really stressful for both me and my family as we were constantly worried whether the situation would worsen.

       “Thankfully, we managed everything well by seeking advice from medical professionals as well as other individuals who had the same experience,” he added.