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This post is a continuation of Part 2 of this blog series.

Day 3 and 4 at Quarantine Center

Every morning, there were people discharged from the quarantine center, and then in the evening, a new group of people got admitted. I remember there’s a guy around 25yo, big-size, and wore a spectacle. He looks terrible and tired when he got in. We exchanged words when he was looking for his bed. I nicknamed him Mr. Griffin (the fat dude from Family Guy).

My daily routine started to kills me, perhaps I’ve been reading my book too fast. It’s almost 50% read on Day 3. While I was chatting with Mr. Wong, he shared this article with me – “Reverse Engineering the source code of the BioNTech/Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine”. At first, the article is not easy to digest, it only gets interesting when it talks about comparing the sequence of RNA code between the virus and the vaccine. Imagine all of us were just made up of A, C, G, and U/T.

On Day 4, I’ve started to miss home-cooked foods. Nonetheless, my tolerance limit of not-so-tasty foods was quite high. I’ve also checked out the snack vending machines, but nothing seems appealing. The only thing I had on mind for a moment, was pisang goreng! If permitted, add-on that with a really good teh tarik would be just nice. There was actually a WhatsApp group chat for everyone staying here, to get updates from administrators working in the office. I tried requesting for the pisang goreng delivery, but nobody reply.

Day 5 to 7 at Quarantine Center

There’s one particular morning, when I went for the usual medical assessment, my SpO2 reading was at 90%. The lady nurse was looking at me, then asked whether I’m feeling OK. I told her I’m good and asked her to try my other finger. It was 91% this time. I was feeling a bit nervous then, I took the oximeter and put it on my original finger again (making sure it fits well). Now it shows 96%. Sometimes there’s false positive reading on medical equipment too.

Remember Mr. Griffin the big-sized guy? His medical assessment was not good. Later in the afternoon, he was transferred to a hospital. Heard from the lady nurse that his condition worsen, and need to get immediate treatment. Hope he gets through the storm safely.

I lose track of the day’s count after some time. While it’s a tough experience to go through, I was quite thankful for a few friends (and family of course) that mentally supported me. We were chatting about my conditions, supplements, sharing tips, experience, whatever. Sometimes you don’t realize that a small gesture, words of support and encouragement, actually helps to brighten someone’s day.

One thing I told my wife when we had a call one night, was the toilet here doesn’t stink. As a matter of fact, I was having anosmia due to the virus, which “save” me from the unpleasant smells. Despite that, I noticed the authority cleaned the lavatories daily, so it’s not that bad actually. There’s also a small open space where you could get some sunshine (Vitamin D) during the day.

The Aftermath

My last day at LRQC was a short one. I took my breakfast and packed my stuff. Waited not long to get my discharge letter and wrist band removed. Since there’s no transport arranged, I took an e-hailing ride back home to reunite with my family.

Fast forward to a few weeks after I recovered. One particular morning when I decided to brew a good cup of coffee; just when I finished the first sip, immediately I threw up everything. The taste of my favorite coffee was disgusting. At first, I thought the coffee beans went bad, but when I checked, it’s properly sealed with expiry date months away.

The issue I’m experiencing is called olfactory dysfunction, or in medical terms parosmia. Basically, foods or drinks don’t smell or taste as they should. Many online articles explained this problem, just to name a few:

While the aftermath of my Covid-19 experience is still manageable, things are slowly getting back to the norms. Vaccination rate catching up in the country; inter-states border opening up in phases; restaurant dine-in restriction lifted; even road traffic is starting to return to pre-pandemic congestion, which I don’t miss at all. Anyway, I hope everybody continues to stay safe and healthy. Signing off this chapter.

This post is a continuation of Part 1 of this blog series.

Day 1 at Quarantine Center (Registration)

Upon arrival, it’s already 6 p.m. Due to the crowd, slow processes, and possibly lack of supporting personnel at the quarantine center, it took almost 2 hours to complete the registration and evaluation. After that, another 30 minutes waiting time before we boarded a minibus that took us to our living hall.

Just 3 minutes on the minibus ride, we arrived at an open basement of a building. There were hundreds of bunk beds, without air-conditioning, just overhead fans. I hesitated for a moment, then the bus driver started calling out names. My name was not called and I felt relieved; I guessed this place was meant for foreign workers. The driver then drove to the next hall, where all females alighted. Lastly, we arrived at an open carpark, with a huge enclosed canopy tent. That’s our living hall.

Day 1 at Quarantine Center (Check-in)

Before we “check-in” to the living hall, the authority inspected our luggage and belongings to ensure no dangerous items or weapons were being brought in. They confiscated my wife’s ceramic mug because it was deemed dangerous; it can be broken and become a sharp object. Anyhow, it gave me some assurance that I will be staying in a rather safe environment for the next 7 days or so.

We were each given a medical band to put on our wrist, and a quick briefing of what to expect of the daily routine here. It’s almost 9 p.m. by then; I settled down quickly and took a quick shower. You won’t believe the place is so frigid, and I shivered against the cold, despite wearing 2 layers of clothes plus a blanket. The first night wasn’t easy, but I still manage to doze off.

Day 2 (AM) at Quarantine Center

It was maybe 6 a.m. when I hear a Muslim call to prayer. I thought to myself “oh well, there goes my sleep”. Then I try to force myself back to sleep; it took me a while. I woke up around 9 a.m., got myself wash up, and prepared for breakfast. By the time I finished my breakfast, the officer started making announcements for us to perform medical assessments.

They check my blood pressure, heart/pulse rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood oxygen, and sit-to-stand test. Everything was normal per the doctor’s consultation. I went back to my bed, rest awhile, and started exploring the living hall. From the size of the hall, I guessed it’s around 2 basketball courts; and a rough calculation of around 180 beds.

There are two “lounges” for people to gather and talk at the center of the hall, one with a flat-screen TV (comes with Netflix!) and another without. Surrounding the hall, there are also six charging stations, with a lot of power sockets for people to charge their laptop, handphone, power bank, etc. Behind the hall is the air-conditioning powerhouse, producing I guess 4x 10HP of cooling capacity; you could imagine how noisy it is. It’s not that chill during the day; the temperature drops only after 6 p.m.

Day 2 (PM) at Quarantine Center

I started to wonder how to kill time here. Mobile games would take up a portion of my daily time. I brought a book to read, perhaps I could finish it within a few days. The remaining time would be medical assessments, phone calls/chats, Netflix, meals, work-out (yeah what you think), shower, and pangsai – not bad right?

My “neighbor” was a dark-skin, skinny-looking, 30-ish young chap. I spoke to him and found out he got infected from a kilang (factory) at Klang. He told me not everyone at the factory got it, perhaps it’s a small cluster. He was here since a few days ago, and can’t wait to get back to work; because he would not get paid during the “stay” here.

The “guest” at the hall has no particular majority, in terms of ethnicity, racial and age. There are people in their 60’s, to children less than 10 years old. The Covid-19 virus doesn’t choose who to infect, just like in the movie “Contagion”, “28 weeks later”, and “World War Z”. Look at the barbed wire fence that surrounds the living hall, just in case all of us become zombies…Nah I’m thinking too much.

Continue reading Part 3 of this blog series.

I decided to write down this experience while it’s still fresh in my mind. We have been hearing so much news and posts about the Covid-19 pandemic, how horrible it was, how bad it breaks the medical systems in many countries, and the need to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to keep ourselves protected and safe.

Day 0 – Speculative Infectious Sites

On the 7th of June, I drove my FIL for his 2nd dose vaccination appointment. As usual, when we go out, we wore a medical mask, face shield, and brought hand sanitizer with us. I accompanied him for registration, verification, jap, and observation – all done within 40 minutes. On the way back, we decided to do takeaway at a Chinese restaurant, one of our usual places for “Cham” and Penang Hokkien Mee. We sanitized our hands frequently, at the vaccination center, and after we got our food. Once we reached home, our SOP kicks in, and we went straight to the shower.

Despite following all hygienic practices, I still caught on the SARS-CoV-2 (a.k.a. COVID-19) virus. My FIL started getting the symptoms one day after his vaccination. 3 days passed, and he was still feeling weak, having a cough, fever, and diarrhea. We thought the post-vaccination effect was a bit too exaggerated. On 11th June, I started having dry cough and mild fever. This is the 4th day after my FIL vaccination.

I took some Panadol and rest for a night. The next day, I’m feeling better, no more feverish, but I’m still feeling fatigued, having a stuffy nose, and loss of taste and smell. I started to suspect the possibility of infection. With the concern, I remember dad bought us some LHQW capsules a few weeks ago as preventive measurement. So I started taking them as indicated, thrice per day. Thinking back on the places I went, several locations were prime suspects, based on the history of MySejahtera check-in. MITEC, the place I brought my FIL for his 2nd dose vaccination; a Chinese restaurant at Taman Gombak, and Aeon Big.

Day 6 – Confirmed Positive

2 days after my initial symptoms, and after I regain back some energy, I decided to bring my FIL to a nearby clinic for consultation and post-vaccination medications. The doctor told us that all the symptoms were Covid-19 symptoms, no doubt they were also similar to post-vaccination effects. On the spot, I decided to do a PCR Swab Test. I got my result via WhatsApp within 12 hours, and I was confirmed positive. I broke the news to my family, and immediately they arranged for a PCR swab test on the same day. The next 12 hours were heart-pumping moments, though we were mentally prepared for the worst. I started to felt breathlessness and having slight chest pain, despite constant check on my blood oxygen level, which was between 95%-98% (luckily my dad bought an oximeter for us a few weeks ago).

Day 7 – Covid-19 Assessment Center (CAC)

1 day after I got my swab test result, I got a call from KKM, asking me about my conditions; whether I can go to the assessment center for further evaluation. We made an appointment and went for the assessment. There were not many people when we arrived at the CAC. We waited for our turn to get registered, and then move on to the next counter for assessment and Q&A. The whole assessment process took around 1 hour.

The officer tagged us with pink bands and let us go home. My assessment result was Category 2b, and I need to stay at a Low-Risk Quarantine Center (LRQC). My FIL, on the other hand, was Category 3. KKM will arrange an ambulance to send him to a hospital for further observation and caretaking. My wife and kids were Category 1, so they can quarantine at home.

I went back home to pack my belonging; clothes, shower gel, books, earpiece, power bank, and a tube of Redoxon Triple Action for my daily vitamin boost. Later in the evening, I drove back to CAC to wait for my ride to LRQC. Just before I leave, my wife handed her ceramic mug for me to bring together.

During the journey to LRQC, there’s so many questions in my mind. Would my case get deteriorated? Would I get send to the ICU? How’s my family doing back at home, especially my wife that needs to take care of the kids. I was exchanging text messages with her, trying to support each other. I also kept my parents updated about my well-being, just not to let them worried too much. After all, Covid-19 is not play play…

Check out my story at Quarantine Center in Part 2 of this blog series.