It has been two weeks since I ‘met’ the coronavirus. In that time, I have had several interesting conversations.
Below are some snippets.
“I dah kena. Now, I am in lokap for one week.” (I got it. I am in the lock-up for one week).
“I’m in jail for the next seven days.”
“I just got out of jail, and now my wife and kids are inside.”
No, these were not conversations with some inept criminal gang but with friends who were quarantined (jailed) due to Covid-19.
Since July 2, nearly 30 family members, friends and acquaintances have tested positive. That includes my home minister.
When cases were at an all-time high of 20,000-30,000 each day, I only knew a handful of patients, but now that infections fluctuate between 3,000 and 4,000, it seems like two to three friends are getting infected each day.
The home minister went into ‘jail’ on Tuesday, the day I received my ‘release’ letter.
The plan was for me to remain in ‘jail’ for 10 days, although the Health Ministry, via the MySejahtera mobile application, stated the quarantine was to last a week. However, new research shows the Omicron BA.5 sub-variant is more resilient and can stay in a patient’s body for up to nine days.
I was still positive after five days, but thankfully, I tested negative on the seventh, and ninth day.
That meant I could go out to buy groceries – while wearing double face masks and gloves, carrying a sanitiser gun, and taking other precautions.
The rising cost of living is no joke as a few items in the trolley cost nearly RM300!
I also discovered why it is better to invest in more expensive gloves as it makes prepping and cooking easier. And how much harder it is to do all that while being masked up.
The home minister is on the road to recovery, although her sense of smell comes and goes.
Another friend recovered without any problems, but his wife lost her sense of smell and taste – days after recovering and testing negative.
As mentioned, the Omicron BA.5 sub-variant is resilient. It can also reinfect patients weeks after they get it. Some have called BA.5 the ‘Reinfection Wave’.
Previous variants give you immunity, so folks, please take extra precautions and do not let your guard down.
STEADY RISE IN CASES
It is no surprise that the number of cases continues to rise with 24,087 new infections reported in the past week. That brought the total to 4,613,998. We surpassed 4.6 million infections on Tuesday, July 12.
The death toll increased by 43, taking the total to 35,844.
Another 18,034 patients recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total that beat the coronavirus to 4,536,946.
Worldwide, there are 566,559,809 cases, and 6,386,058 fatalities.
WASTING RESOURCES
I had to renew my driving licence, road tax, and car insurance, so I went to the post office.
Sadly, the one I usually go to did not have the machine to print the licence. So, after paying for the road tax and insurance – in only 10 minutes – I went to another outlet.
This one had many customers, and it took nearly an hour to get the licence. The reason for the delay was that only one counter was operating as two others were on a break.
Baharuddin Azami, 63, who had gone for breakfast at a restaurant next door to the post office, lamented: “It is not even 11.50am, and two counters are closed.”
“We should not have many people congregating in an enclosed area. They should take turns going out, so that people do not have to wait a long time.
“It is a good thing there is a restaurant next door. I got a cuppa while waiting.”
The retiree has been staying in Subang Jaya for over 35 years. He took a step back after I told him that I had just recovered from Covid-19, but we continued our chat.
After I related my ordeal, he said he never could figure out why there were three post office outlets within a 4km radius, but only one had all the facilities.
“They should close one down and transfer the staff here as this place is always so crowded.
“Either that or they should equip all outlets with the necessary equipment, so residents have a choice of where to go to.”
On the bright side, I renewed my driving licence for six years. I always thought the maximum length of renewal was five years.
NO-BAKE COCONUT COOKIES
Are you craving for some healthy, no-bake desserts? Look no further than these no-bake coconut cookies. Best of all, you do not need flour, eggs, or oil.
BBQ AND BAKAR
If you love barbeque, head to EMU Weekends x Night Nomad Market KL, Muzium Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, for a ‘BBQ and bakar’ extravaganza.
The one-day event is today, from 5pm until 11pm.
BBQ
To close out this week’s Diary, here is Don Clayton with an aptly named song.
Until next week, stay safe.
