If you contract Covid, be calm, follow instructions and rest
LETTERS: 2022 started off well until last week. After a flurry of activity I contracted Covid-19, which had somehow missed me for the past two years. At the back of my head, I wondered if this was happening to me because I didn't forward a chain email I received back in 2007. It was on a promising Thursday dawn that my throat felt tingly with a sensation that could upset my calendar for the day. You see, we are in the midst of the end-of-the-semester grading, and I had a good five-week start due to a large student pool this semester.
It all came to a halt when the dreaded double-line appeared in my RTK test kit. One of the shocking things I found out about myself as a late millennial was the fact that it bothered me very little. I thought if not now, it could be tomorrow or the day after. Friends on socials had been lining up quarantine stories every few minutes. Just like the inevitable 'And Just Like That' reboot series,
I felt a little bit underwhelmed. So into uncharted waters I went. Day one into self-isolation was the absolute worse. By mid-morning fatigue and a slight fever crept in. It was like you were supposed to submit that 1,000-word essay (given to you last month) tomorrow at 8am, or risk being scolded by the teacher, or even worse, experiencing social suicide in front of classmates. It was confusing. How can this stationary body feel and do so many things at one go? The day went on slowly. It was a perfect setting to watch your toenails grow. I still had my senses intact and funnily enough, actually awaited the MySejahtera check-in for the day to update them that I was all right. As evening crawled in, it began. From 8pm until 1.30am, I vomited so frequently (an average of two trips to the lavatory per hour), that at one point, only air came out as my stomach caved in. So, I thought, as I crouched like a martial arts grasshopper in front of the bowl, this is how it felt like, being a travelling luggage after a road trip, emptying colourful fibres.
The next few days had me on full bed rest. I tried grading, but after a few scripts, I realised I became way too emotional with each criss-cross on a paper. Regretfully, the eight scripts that were graded earlier were relocated back to the pile where they came from. I believe it is unfair to award a grade when you're not feeling yourself. This was the part when I thanked my lucky stars that I had settled my vaccination and booster dose. Besides a very dramatic first day into Covid, vaccination and the booster actually worked! I still had all my senses throughout, my appetite astonishingly grew, and I had quite a cheery disposition rather than a prickly one. From my bedroom window, I could see trees, the changing weather, cars zooming in and out across the street and passersby. Maybe this was my body telling me to relax. Friends and family members checked in every now and then. Also, a few friends got infected too.
We became a Band of THEY (pronoun-friendly) and kept tabs on each other for the next few days. By day six, I finished my casual reading ('French Exit', by Patrick deWitt) and finally got around that confrontational scene on 'Euphoria' [trust me, I foresee that come Halloween, people WILL be dressing up as Rue, Maddy and Cassie, the New Age's Sanderson Sisters (of Hocus Pocus!)]. Despite all the horror stories people tell you about getting the virus, from someone who went through it, I'd say, be calm, follow instructions, rest and come out of it with a badge of honour. It is important for me to pen this piece so people will know that again, the vaccination and booster work. They save lives, they protect you and, of course, you do need this break to connect and relax.
Today's my last day of quarantining. Here's a toast to good health, making the right, informed, scientific decisions for you and your loved ones and, of course, still keeping the SOPs intact!
A HAMID SAIFUDDIN
Educator/Researcher/Covid-19 Survivor
Public Relations Department (MC242)
Faculty of Communication & Media Studies
Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam
Full article : https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2022/02/772174/if-you-contract-covid-be-calm-follow-instructions-and-rest
