ddrayan

[ddrayan]

Covid times in KL

A couple of weeks ago, I jumped on the COVID-19 train.

How did I get it? It could have been from the dinner I had in a well-known Shopping Centre, happy hour with my friends or even the Hospital visits that I had gone to accompanying family. But nope! I actually contracted it from a friend’s home and obviously, nobody in the household knew that they were infected until one of them unsuspectingly needed to get a test done as a requirement for a medical scan. Within 3 hours, the entire household and I got tested and within 20 hours, got our results which came back positive. 6 members of their family in PJ and I was by myself in OKR. These are some of the fun facts about handling COVID-19.

 1.       How do you know if you have COVID-19?

Unless you’re symptomatic, you really won’t know! I was Asymptomatic when I got tested and the only reason I got tested was because I was in close contact with someone who was also Asymptomatic but later got tested positive.

FUN FACT: Wear your mask and sanitize regularly because you don’t know what the next person’s got and worst of all, you don’t know what you’ve got till you get tested. So stop coughing & sneezing openly, even if you’re around family at the comfort of your own home or room.

 2.       Do you stay Asymptomatic throughout?

Different people react differently.  I was Asymptomatic when I tested, but on Day 4 (Calculated Day 1 as the day I got tested) I developed a mild Flu. It was barely runny but naturally I was starting to panic. This followed through with a very mild fever (37.5). Thanks to a good friend who was a Doctor, she dropped off all the necessary Flu – Fever Meds as well as Cough Syrup as a preemptive measure. I took them and the flu and fever died down the next day with a little bit of sniffles still playing up for two days.

FUN FACT: The close contact who tested positive was also technically a high risk older person but did not show any symptoms for 14 days except for loss of taste which lasted for 2-3 days.

 3.       What are the tell-tale symptoms of COVID-19?

So far, everyone that I have known to have been infected has had different variations of the symptoms. As for me, I was good till Day 4. There was mild fever and flu that was gone by Day 6 thanks to the flu + fever + cough medicines I diligently took. Then I just felt tired/lazy. Day 7 hit hard with light headedness which kept me in bed with a sudden bout of body ache. It felt like I had fought King Kong the day before and someone injected me with some super drowsy concoction. I also realized I couldn’t take deep breathes as I usually would. It felt like my chest was weakening. This spilled over to Day 8 with a visit from a very special friend, “Diarrhea”. I was lucky enough to only have endured its visit for half a day thanks to good ol’ Black Tea (Teh O’) and the massive fresh coconuts sent by a dear friend! All I remember is just sleeping through the rest of Day 8 up to Day 10. I was feeling very, very tired and lethargic. Once Day 11 hit, I was starting to feel better again, maybe still tired and needed to gain my strength back but the body ache was gone.

FUN FACT: Most of my symptoms developed after Day 4  and peaked on Day 6-9. After I recovered from the flu on Day 6, I lost of sense of smell and taste for about  3-4 days. A good friend sent me an Essential Oil with Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Lavender among others to help with the blocked nose and sleep. I do feel like inhaling it everyday helped gain back my sense of taste and smell fast!

4.       Did KKM/PKD contact you?

Okay. This is the fun part! If I got 10 bucks every time someone asked me this question throughout the 14 days, I would have made a thousand bucks easy! So let me run you through what happened to me and please note that every COVID-19 patient would have differing stories. When I got tested, I was asymptomatic so I had gone home immediately and quarantined myself while waiting for the results to come out the next day. I had done my test at a private hospital in PJ and the doctor called me at 10.40 am the next day to inform me. Firstly, he seemed like he was laughing in a bit of a disbelief that I and the other 6 had tested positive. He then asked if I had any symptoms and thereafter acknowledged that I was Asymptomatic as of that moment. He said that I should take a lot of Vitamin C and quarantine myself at home for 14 days. If I had difficulty breathing then to call an Ambulance but otherwise, I should stay calm and PKD will be contacting me within 2-4 days to let me know what’s next as they’re overwhelmed with cases at the moment. So, that was Day 1. I didn’t get a single call from anyone till I called PKD HQ and was given the number to PKD Lembah Pantai on Day 13.

FUN FACT: I called various PKD numbers throughout my quarantine period and nobody answered. No body called me for contact tracing till I was cleared. Someone called me on Day 18 to ask if I had informed my contacts and for some weird reason, kept asking how did I get food sent to me rather than requesting for a full list of my location etc.

 5.       How to get my Letter of Release from KKM?

I kept stalking PKD Lembah Pantai with calls and messages on Day 14 till they gave me an appointment at Klinik Kesihatan Tanglin in Bukit Aman. I was told to come in on Day 15 at 9am. It was a queue of about 20 people or so before me, all appropriately distanced, masked and sanitized (I hope). They got everyone to go in 5 pax at a time to collect our letters. Everyone in front of me didn’t have a band on the wrist either. There was no way to tell we were COVID-19 patients really. There was a doctor who had our release slips with pre-printed stickers of our name and IC number stuck on it. It was quick and a frighteningly easy process. She asked for my name and which date I had tested positive. Then asked if I have any symptoms and took my word for it and signed off and stamped a very questionable hand written paper. That was it. I was clear and could be out and about but not before she warned me that I could always get it again so please mask up and sanitize as if your life depends on it!

FUN FACT: I was in and out within 30 minutes. The nurse had said that no walk-ins were allowed and you can only collect your release letter if you’ve been given an appointment. The new rule is to let you out of quarantine after Day 10 as they consider you to not be infectious anymore. No testing was done.

 6.       How to be a responsible COVID-19 patient?

ü  DO YOUR OWN CONTACT TRACING. Write down a list of all your whereabouts for the last 10 days and people you have met. Let them know even if you’re sure that you only got infected after meeting  them. You can never tell the origins of the infection so accurately when it comes to this virus and it’s your responsibility to tell them. Most of my contacts thankfully did a test themselves and came out negative and the rest continued to stay home under quarantine as well just in case.

ü  If you’re staying in a Condo, let your management know so that they can arrange for the appropriate sanitization of the area.

ü  Get your food/groceries/essentials delivered to your door step and when you’re putting your rubbish out, ensure you sanitize the bin and bag so that it’s safe for those who carry your trash out. My condo management was exceptional and the guards dropped off my items at my doorstep until I was cleared by KKM.

ü  Get someone to drop off your essential medicines so that you’re covered for 14 days.

ü  Do your own temperature reading daily and take notes on your symptoms so that if it becomes worse and you call 911, you have a proper history to give them. I had my best friend send me a goodie bag of vitamins, Dettol sprays and thermometer and trust me, I have never been more thankful!

ü  Spray your room and bathroom every morning and evening especially your beds. I sprayed my bathroom every time I used it and that’s probably me just being OCD.

ü  If you’re in a shared space, wear a mask at all times and don’t share your meals or drinks and utensils with others.

ü  Take your Vitamin C like your life depends on it and fresh fruit/vege juices really help! I had amazing friends who sent me immune boosters/daily fresh juices/homecooked meals and to be honest, they all just helped me mentally and physically because it can be really hard being all alone without human touch for 14 days straight. No amount of Netflix and chill will make it better so having a good support system to check in on you is just as important.

ü  Once you’re out of quarantine, sanitize your entire home/room. Sanitize and wash your sheets and clothes.

Disclaimer: As you can see, I had a very good support system around me and I was also blessed to not have severe symptoms. This may not be the case for most people so don’t be afraid to ask for help or call 999 in case of an emergency. Please don’t wait till it becomes worse.

This is also in no way a jibe to our Healthcare Workers but instead one to our government. I can’t blame PKD or KKM entirely for delays and lack of enthusiasm on their part because lets face it, they are OVERWHELMED. How did we NOT see this coming? We were doing so well and then the elections in Sabah happened and wham bam! The flood gates were opened. What measures did the government take to ensure our healthcare team had a good support system? Did they bother to employ more Admin Staffs to cope with the rise of the COVID-19 cases? Could they have had a Call Centre set up for this purposes only? Could the MySejahtera app been done better? Only 2 weeks ago did they finally allow those with cases to report via the app. This is the 21st century where I can get my food delivered to me with one single app and yet I cannot believe that we have not invested enough into our healthcare system. You’re overworking the front liner’s who are in turn burning out and probably don’t have a choice but to find the fastest way to do the job. In turn, an irresponsible person who has been tested positive and hasn’t gotten a call from PKD and doesn’t have a band either to show for it will be out and about infecting others and wa-laa! We can be hitting the sweet 5k spot soon with or without MCO. So please get off your high horses and put your politics aside to fix this for the love of Nasi Lemak and Dim Sum!