I always find it illogical for politicians to organise large political gatherings when the number of COVID19 cases shoots through the sky but you cannot have large family gatherings in fear of COVID19 infections. So which is which? Image source: Malaysia Gazette / Twitter.
Read these first:-
- Outbreak 2021: I Finally Got My First COVID19 Vaccination Done
- Outbreak 2021: Part 1 Unexpected COVID19 Scare At The Office
- Prepping in Malaysia 101: Readying for Devastating Flu Pandemic
- Outbreak 2021: Comparing Covid-19 Vaccines Based on Efficacy Number
Things have not gone great when it comes to the number of COVID19 cases in the country with daily active cases being reported in the 5 digits in recent weeks. Graph source: COVIDNow
Even though there was a large number of my colleagues was working from home and the office was rather empty, one can never dismiss the possibility of getting infected with COVID19, especially the newer Omicron variant. Just when we thought we had taken all the precautions, we got news from the school that our daughter’s class teacher has been tested positive for COVID19.
The problem was we were not sure if our daughter got infected as well but we kept a close watch on her. Then the symptoms started to show with her catching the flu and then cough and vomiting. Next was my wife who started to cough at night as well.
By this time, I had decided to work from home seeing the number of the COVID19 infections have been growing and a number of colleagues reporting either tested positive or have been in close contact with someone who has been tested positive.
We had several Salixium COVID19 self-test kits on standby at home (a brand that was quickly reliable even though is a bit more expensive than other brands) and I have tested myself to be sure – it was negative.
Then my wife and daughter who have been coughing and having bad flu were self-tested and not surprisingly, it showed the result as positive for COVID19. My son who had basically isolated himself in his room focusing on his upcoming exams and showed NO symptoms whatsoever was also self-tested and his result was positive as well.
Considering that we now had 3 positive results from the self-test kits, we had to make sure that we were indeed was infected with COVID19. However, the call to our usual clinic revealed that they do not do any PCR test but they gave a couple of clinics that we can call to do the PCR test. A friend of mine also shares the contact of the clinic where he recently did the PCR test but you need to make an appointment first.
After several calls, we managed to get hold of the clinic that was quite nearby and we don’t have to make any appointments to do the PCR test. They quoted RM150 for each PCR test and we can opt to pay via e-wallet or online transfer. The result will be made available the next day afternoon.
We all drove in one car to the clinic but from far, we could see a large group of people waiting outside the clinic most likely to do PCR tests. Unsure if we had to wait long, we checked with the lady at the counter who gave us the forms to fill up and asked to wait for the doctor to do the swab test. We did not have to wait for long as the line was being cleared rather fast by the clinic staff. Once done, we paid for the test and was asked to wait for our results which the staff will send via the phone the next day.
Having nothing much to do at the clinic and we could not stop any other place, we went back home and informed others who may drop by or had close contacts on previous days to get tested. We decided to wait for the actual PCR test before we reported our statuses in MySejahtera and officially start our self-quarantine.
The symptoms however remained the same for the time being so we asked a family friend to assist to get us the medicine for the flu, cough and sore throat and asked her to leave the medicine in a small container that we had left at the front gate.
The PCR results came back and it was the same as the results that we got using the self-test kits, thus affirming the need to report our status in MySejahtera. All those who were tested positive got their status changed from low risk to Category 2A (which changed to Category 1 on the last few days) and had to report the daily assessment of our health status by answering some questions and reporting the oxygen, heart rate and temperature readings. Since my daughter was still young, I reported her status as part of my dependant.
The quarantine period was between 7 to 9 days depending on the age and vaccination status but we organised ourselves to be far enough from each other. We also ensure wear our mask at home and ensure tissues that we used for wiping away our noses are quickly disposed of properly. The sleeping rooms are kept clean, sprayed with anti germs cleaning solutions and properly ventilated.
We also minimise cooking at home so that we don’t mix up the cooking utensils and reduce the effort to do the cooking. We ordered our food online, mainly via FoodPanda for breakfast and lunch. Dinners are mainly plain soups or hot drinks. Even though I was still working with the stress level only going up, we decided to go to sleep earlier than usual as we often feel drained by end of the day.
I assure you the quarantine days did not sail through fast and although I kept myself busy with work, the family-focussed on resting and recovering. The symptoms thankfully remained mild and it did not worse than the usual flu, cough and sore throat. We remained vigil, especially checking our health readings on a daily basis and symptoms.
We are now part of the pandemic history and statistics as well.