‘Almost everyone in my house tested positive’ — Toolz recounts COVID-19 experience

Tolu Oniru-Demuren, a Nigerian on-air personality better known as Toolz, says she is thankful for not contracting COVID-19 while she was pregnant with her second child.

In September, the radio personality had revealed that she underwent tests for the virus up to six times during pregnancy, describing the experience as “scary”.

But in a series of tweets on Tuesday, the 38-year-old talk show host recounted her experience — a month after recovering from the deadly virus.

She also narrated how Tunde Demuren, her husband, and almost everyone in their home tested positive for the novel coronavirus after her maternity leave ended.

The mother of two, while narrating the journey to recovery, described the experience as a “scary period”, adding that she didn’t initially take it seriously.

“Feeling super thankful to God today! This time last month, we were going through a very scary period! Almost everyone in our house (including myself) tested positive for Covid-19,” she wrote.

“I was just about to return to work after my maternity, and it all started with Captain complaining of ‘malaria-like’ symptoms. He had them for a few days, and didn’t seem to get any better…so we ended up taking him to hospital.

“He had taken a Covid-19 test a few days before which was negative, so I thought it was a bad case of malaria. He was admitted with malaria and a bacterial infection we were told. After being given intravenous antibiotics and other meds he still wasn’t getting better.

“I decided to move him to a different hospital, and they tested again, and he ‘blew up’ the test according to the doctor. My body went cold, and my first thought was ‘OMG the babies!!’. Then a short while later, I thought about myself. I did a rapid test, and it was positive.”

She added that even though neither of them initially showed symptoms of the virus, her major concern was for the children as she was certain they would have also contracted the virus.

“Neither of us initially had the common symptoms- no coughing, no breathing issues…although I later lost my smell and taste. Captain was in hospital for a week and this was around the time of the Lekki shooting, so I was doubly terrified,” she continued.

“My main fear was the babies…especially our youngest son as he was just about 3 months old. We didn’t test them, but I was certain they had COVID too as we literally kiss and cuddle our boys every day. The doctor assured us that they wouldn’t be affected.

“Thank God the doctor was right, other than a sneeze here & there, our babies were perfectly fine. I was generally ok too, just scared. Once you get that positive result, you get all these random symptoms you didn’t have before. My back would hurt…I’d be like hmmm corona oo.

“The weirdest thing was the taste and smell thing. Everything Captain had tasted bad, he’s a foodie so that was strange. One of my super powers is my sense of smell…and it just gradually faded. I actually put a bottle of bleach under my nose one day and…nothing.

“I kept waiting to fall ill, and it didn’t happen. I started thinking I had indaboski blood, but then I had 2 days where I felt like I had the worst hangover in the world, then there was some fatigue, but I was generally ok.

“Captain on the other hand felt super rundown, couldn’t keep food down, had cramping all over and a bunch of other symptoms. After a week, he came back home, and we finished our isolation period together.

“After 2 weeks we all retested and were all thankfully Negative. Thanks to Almighty God for seeing us through, a big thank you to the doctors that looked after us… especially Dr Majekodunmi of Eurocare for the constant reassurance, and for taking my a million and one calls.

“I’m super thankful I didn’t get it while I was pregnant. Imagine I travelled to have my baby, came back, did a 7 COVID tests, and it was the 8th that was positive. The craziest thing was that a week before I legit told someone that there’s COVID in Lagos anymore. Silly me.

“I’m not good at threads…I always get distracted. Anyhow, I initially didn’t think COVID was that serious but bottom-line, COVID is very real! Symptoms seem to be different for different people. I still don’t know why Captain was sick and I wasn’t. Look after yourselves please.”

Neither of us initially had the common symptoms- no coughing, no breathing issues…although I later lost my smell and taste. Captain was in hospital for a week and this was around the time of the Lekki shooting, so I was doubly terrified.

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

My main fear was the babies…especially our youngest son as he was just about 3 months old. We didn't test them, but I was certain they had Covid too as we literally kiss and cuddle our boys every day. The doctor assured us that they wouldn't be affected.

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

Thank God the doctor was right, other than a sneeze here & there, our babies were perfectly fine.
I was generally ok too, just scared. Once you get that positive result, you get all these random symptoms you didn't have before. My back would hurt…I'd be like hmmm corona oo

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

The weirdest thing was the taste and smell thing. Everything Captain had tasted bad, he's a foodie so that was strange. One of my super powers is my sense of smell…and it just gradually faded. I actually put a bottle of bleach under my nose one day and…nothing.

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

I kept waiting to fall ill, and it didn't happen. I started thinking I had indaboski blood, but then I had 2 days where I felt like I had the worst hangover in the world, then there was some fatigue, but I was generally ok.

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

Captain on the other hand felt super rundown, couldn't keep food down, had cramping all over and a bunch of other symptoms. After a week, he came back home, and we finished our isolation period together.

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

After 2 weeks we all retested and were all thankfully Negative. Thanks to Almighty God for seeing us through, a big thank you to the doctors that looked after us… especially Dr Majekodunmi of Eurocare for the constant reassurance, and for taking my a million and one calls

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

I'm super thankful I didn't get it while I was pregnant. Imagine I travelled to have my baby, came back, did a 7 covid tests, and it was the 8th that was positive. The craziest thing was that a week before I legit told someone that there's Covid in Lagos anymore. Silly me

— Toolz O.D (@ToolzO) November 24, 2020

In 2016, Toolz tied the knot with Tunde, the son of Harold Demuren, a former director-general of the National Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), in Dubai.

In late July, the couple welcomed the arrival of their second child. Asher, their first child, was birthed in December 2018.