I am a 69-year-old pensioner from the Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. I want to share my story as an old man living in the COVID-19 era. My name is Hakim.

As I said, I am a pensioner. That means I don’t work anywhere. I have a wife, children, and grandchildren. Even though they work every day, I have not been infected with COVID-19 yet. I stay at home and watch television. I usually watch Russian programs. My family is middle class. However, nobody has time to cook food for me. That is why neighbors bring me food every day.

There are many old women and men in the neighborhood. I spend time near my door watching the street and gossiping with my neighbors. Honestly, I don’t believe in the existence of God. My life is repeated every day with the same things. Sometimes I seek attention. On one of such days, the virus started to spread. That meant I had a new topic to discuss with my friends. I acted as if I was afraid of dying to reach more attention. Because, as you get older, many people start to ignore you. My death does not change anything because I am not a kind, caring person. That is why my children and grandchildren don’t love me. My death means nothing to anyone. But, I am still alive. Living more than needed is also bad, I understand that, unfortunately.

Overall, the virus gave me a new topic to think about and discuss.