Quarantine

Hubby was found to be covid-19 positive on 23 Dec 2020. He was then taken away by an ambulance, with 2 fully suited attendants inside, to the Sungai Buloh Quarantine Centre. One lucky thing was: when he was taken away at 7 pm, the neighbourhood had quieted down by then and all the children had returned home. Only 1 neighbour saw the whole scene and I believe he has us under surveillance as we speak.

We were asked to do our swab test on 28 Dec 2020- we are still awaiting the results- and were given pink home quarantine slips & had to each wear a hospital bracelet. On 6 Jan 2021 we will go to the Petaling Clinic and remove our bracelets. 

My initial response (when hubby was tested positive) was to panic. He was ill with high fever for 2 days prior and we had been waiting for a call to do a test, because on 10 Dec he had a covid-19 positive contact. Eventually hubby decided to conduct the test at a private clinic (the results were received on the morning of 23 Dec) and immediately called the Health Services when found to be covid-19 positive. 

He was then asked to make a list of close contacts and we were called to do our swab test on 28 Dec. By this time I was already at the acceptance stage (after the initial panic and eventually denial). The whole process of swabbing was reasonably smooth- it is exactly as what you have seen on TV where samples were taken from inside the nose and the throat. Once done we were asked to return home.

In the meantime life goes on and we had to order our groceries and food online. Thank goodness for that, because we do not plant any fresh vegetables or rear chickens in our yard. What I found is that the online groceries' item selection is rather limited, and the shops tend to offer the more pricey items via the online mart (for example: only basmathi option for rice). Other than that the process is pretty convenient and safe, because it is contactless.

At this moment we are just waiting for the results and in the meantime life goes on. New Year's day was spent indoors like any other years, and tomorrow I must call the Health Services for our test results. 

A lesser known fact: hubby told me this when he was discharged (as he had been told by the medical officers at the quarantine centre) is that once the 10-day gestation period is over, covid-19 positive patients will not infect others and have very little or no risk of contracting it again. However no further swab tests will be done, because the virus will stay in the body for another 3-6 months (i.e. there is no point doing a swab test because the results will return positive anyways).

So, in my case, I would like to get my results please. Being covid-19 positive may not be too bad either if it means that we have immunity for future attacks i.e. our lives can go on. Now I see the rationale of Sweden, that never imposed a lockdown from the beginning. Their health services can focus on the vulnerable/ high risk groups and let the low risk groups recover at home. Eventually everybody (or most bodies) in the country will have immunity- fabulous!