Malaysia could possibly in the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, but it seems like the more we know about this virus, the less afraid we seem to be. One Malaysian shared her experience with Covid-19 to warn others that getting infected with the virus is not something they want to go through.
23-year-old Joyce shared in an Instagram post the anxiety and fear she felt when she found out she was infected. Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, she said she did a PCR test on 20 April and tested positive for Covid-19.
“How, how, HOW could this happen??” she wrote in her post
“Everyone seemed healthy, NOBODY was showing any signs of being sick.”
Joyce questions how long she has been infected with Covid-19 and recalls the time she shared a drink with her best friend a few nights before and wonders how she is going to break the news to her.
She further explains that she has dinner with her parents every day and worries that they could get infected as well, or worse, they might not survive.
When asked if she had any idea where she had contracted the virus, she told WORLD OF BUZZ that she suspects she got it from sports practice where several other people also tested positive, although they were all asymptomatic.
Lining up for hours with masses of people
Joyce made her way to the “Covid assessment centre” with her luggage and lined up for hours outside. She said it was hot and humid with masses of people all around her.
“All these people, are they all positive?” she wrote.
“Though it stifles your breathing, suddenly a single face mask feels flimsy and unnervingly thin, barely offering any protection.”
Joyce told WORLD OF BUZZ that the trip to the assessment centre took a toll on her as she was feeling sickly.
“I had a panic attack whilst lining up for the bus,” she said.
“Because you spend hours lining up along with your luggage, there’s barely any ventilation in the stadium, you don’t get to eat unless you bring your own food and you can’t really leave.”
Medical staff at their wits’ end
Joyce added that she spent one night in Sungai Buloh Hospital and underwent some tests before she was transferred to a ‘step-down quarantine centre’ where discharged patients go to.
She recalls seeing medical staff in layers of protective gear scurrying about the emergency ward at the hospital.
“They look tired. How do they even breathe in that from morning till night?”
Joyce also recalls some of the conversations she overheard among the medical staff.
“…everywhere else is full, there are no more beds… excess patients get sent here now…”
“..at my breaking point… if I resign… system will collapse..”
“hey xxx… take a break and buka puasa… I’ll cover for you…”
Feeling homesick as well as physically and emotionally exhausted, Joyce said her lungs felt raw from all the coughing.
“Everything seems bleak, never-ending and hopeless.”
She also met another patient who was next to her and hoped that her parents wouldn’t end up there. She explains that the middle-aged woman had been in intensive care for six days and doesn’t know when she can go home.
“It may be awhile for me,” the aunty told Joyce, “But don’t give up, we’ll get better soon.”
“You don’t want to get Covid”
Joyce ends her post saying that it was the worst experience of her life. She said she has been discharged but still has a cough and has been quarantining in her room.
“I have no idea how to interact with my family members, close friends, boyfriend, even my freaking pet cat. I don’t know when I can ever go back to ‘normal’.”
“This could happen to you. This WILL happen to you if you or someone else makes a single mistake. The odds of that happening increase every single day.”
“You’re not safe. Our healthcare frontliners are human, and they’re about at their limit. Stop taking your immunity and the system for granted.”
“Please, please, please stay safe. You don’t want to get Covid.”
Here’s Joyce’s original post:
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