Last Thursday (19 August), former prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that fully vaccinated individuals would be allowed to take part in social activities. This news came as a shock to many as the nation has been continuously reporting high Covid-19 cases. While the virus continues to rampantly take the lives of our loved ones, the power is now in the hands of Malaysian citizens to reflect on how Covid-19 is still very much a threat to our society.
One Malaysian who goes by the name of Jeremy decided to share his personal experience of having a loved one infected by the virus on Instagram in an effort to warn others of how they should not underestimate the deadly pandemic.
On 16 July, his mother received her first dose of vaccination. She was accompanied by her husband, who received his vaccination a few days earlier. Jeremy’s mother started showing signs of fever and everyone mistook it as a side effect of the vaccine.
Unfortunately, five days later, his parent’s RTK test and PCR test both came back positive. Following that, everyone in the house quarantined and physically distanced themselves from each other. His parents were showing symptoms such as fever, cough, flu, intense migraines, headaches, and the loss of smell and taste.
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Declined medical attention
On 31 July, his mother’s oxygen level dropped between 70-80. Jeremy drove them to the nearest private hospital that night and described his parents’ condition to the doctors but was given an unsatisfactory response.
“The doctors in the hospital, without even checking on my parents who were in critical condition, told me to just bring them elsewhere as they were full.”
Jeremy’s parents were experiencing shortness of breath and were declined from the hospital despite him repeatedly requesting immediate medical attention for his parents.
WORLD OF BUZZ has reached out to the hospital and they confirmed that they had been constantly full and were unable to accommodate any Covid-19 patients.
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He then called several hospitals in the Klang Valley and were told that they were all full. Some hospitals even had waiting lists of up to almost 80 to 100 patients. None of the hospitals took his parents in even after listening to Jeremy explain his parents’ condition.
Dejected, they went back home and hoped to make it through the night.
The following day, his mother’s oxygen dropped to a critical level of 58-60 and his father was coughing out a small amount of blood. After spending an hour trying to call an ambulance, his parents were brought to a government hospital in Klang.
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“Mum’s face looked slightly blue due to the lack of oxygen, their breaths were short.”
Admission to hospital
Jeremy’s mother was admitted as a Stage 5 Covid-19 patient and was given a bed while the father was not given much attention although he was considered a Stage 3 patient.
“The hospital was full and my father was only given a wheelchair to sleep on.”
After four days of sleeping in the wheelchair, Jeremy’s father was exhausted and there was no information provided on his medical condition. WORLD OF BUZZ has reached out to the hospital for a statement but have yet to receive a response. Meanwhile, Jeremy’s mother’s condition was improving.
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“I called my father that night, he told me he felt slightly better and was eating more but I guess this was what I should have feared the most.”
However, the hospital called Jeremy on the morning of 6 August to inform him that his father was intubated and required him to sign the consent form for a CT scan.
Three days later, Jeremy recorded that his father’s health deteriorated. Doctors told him that he was not only infected with Covid-19 but also suffered from other infections while he was waiting for a bed in the emergency department. Unfortunately, even after signing consent, Jeremy was told that his father was “not critical enough” to be given a CT scan. Jeremy said;
“The doctors have neglected his need for medical attention.”
Jeremy was then asked to prepare for the worst.
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Hoping for the return of his parents
On 10 August, Jeremy’s mother was discharged and he went to the hospital to bring her home in the evening.
“I made a quick prayer in the lift for my dad who was on the first floor to recover faster as mom is discharged now.”
However, after four minutes, Jeremy received a call from the hospital informing him of his father’s passing.
“I lost a good man that day and until this day I can’t accept how sudden everything was.”
Jeremy told WORLD OF BUZZ that his father’s funeral had been delayed for seven days as there was a waiting list of over 120 bodies in the mortuary. Being able to only see the body right before cremation is an agonising part of contracting Covid-19, added Jeremy.
Losing a loved one to Covid-19 is heartbreaking. It is extremely important to continuously adhere to SOPs to avoid contracting the deadly virus. We truly hope that everyone understands the severity of this pandemic and we hope you will never have to lose a loved one.
Our deepest condolences go out to Jeremy and his family. May his father’s soul rest in peace. We send our thoughts and prayers to all families facing the same predicament.
Read Also: Woman’s Heartbreaking Experience Of Losing Her Father To Covid-19 Is A Wake-Up Call For Malaysians
