Yesterday, a friend of mine underwent a second swab test for Covid-19 after the first test came back negative.
He and seven others in his household had to take the tests as his brother-in-law, who is an e-hailing driver, tested positive nearly two weeks ago.
Mr PK and his family had their first test on Dec 9, but then there was complete silence about the results.
“We were told we would get the results back in 48-72 hours but there was no news from them,” said PK.
“We lived in fear amid the uncertainty around our test results. It was harder for the older folks as we have three of them, including one who is in a wheelchair.
“We were extremely worried about them, especially as one was sneezing and had a high fever.”
He said they made several phone calls to get the results to no avail. Finally, someone asked him to email to get the results.
“We then received an email on Monday stating we were negative,” said a relieved PK.
“Subsequently, we got a call to go for a second swab test. Hopefully, everything will be okay and we can then take off the pink wristbands.”
He said the family had not left their home in nearly two weeks, except to go to the hospital … and they were going stir-crazy.
PK said his brother-in-law probably caught the virus from a passenger but the case was still being investigated.
Asked how he felt about the swab tests, PK said: “The second test was worse as the swab went deeper.
“I feel woozy and wonky for a couple of hours afterwards,” he said.
“It wasn’t a pleasant experience but once again, I felt more for the older folks and two children in my house.”
Separately, in one of my WhatsApp group chats, a former colleague complained that a friend in Shah Alam, who was rushed to a hospital, was denied a Covid-19 test.
“He had a fever a couple of days ago but the temperature was normal yesterday.
“However, he started vomiting non-stop and had to call for an ambulance to get him to hospital as he couldn’t move.
“Strangely, the doctors said it was only a viral infection and gave him an IV drip. The doctors said there was no need for a Covid-19 test.
“My friend wanted to pay to take the test but the doctor said there was no need as he didn’t have the Covid-19 symptoms.”
The former colleague, who lives in Singapore, said that in the republic, if you have or had a fever, a Covid-19 test is a must.
Oh well …
Anyway, today is the 277th day of the Movement Control Order and this is the 27th weekly edition of ‘The MCO Diaries’.
CLOSING IN ON 100,000 CASES
Sadly, it looks like Malaysia will reach 100,000 Covid-19 cases by Christmas as 10,507 new infections this past week took the total to 90,816 cases.
We passed China’s figures on Wednesday to be the 79th worst-hit country and went up a notch yesterday when we overtook Bahrain.
The number of fatalities rose by 30 to 432 in the past week. On Thursday, the Health Ministry tweeted that 50.6 per cent of the patients who died, had a history of chronic high blood pressure.
The good news is that there were no new deaths yesterday. The last time that happened was on Dec 4.
Another piece of good news is that 8,071 patients recovered in the past week, bringing the total cured to 75,244.
Worldwide, the number of cases increased by 4.2 million to 71.3 million. Fatalities went up by nearly 100,000 to 1.6 million.
DECORATING IDEAS
Here are some Covid-19-inspired Christmas decoration ideas.
NIGELLA LAWSON’S DATE AND MARMALADE CHRISTMAS CAKE
I can’t wait to try this recipe.
CHRISTMAS LOOT
This Christmas I will be stepping out in style thanks to Allan Netto who delivered my hand-painted custom-made shoes in honour of my favourite football team – Liverpool.
Coupled with a matching T-shirt from KL Kopites, my Christmas outfit now is only missing a pair of pants or shorts!
MINERAL WATER AT YOUR DOORSTEP
Lots of companies have had to make changes to the way they run their business and Spritzer, too, is adapting to the new normal.
The mineral water company is making it safer and more convenient by bringing drinking water straight to homes around the country through a new subscription plan.
A friend told me about this earlier this week and I thought it was a great idea. Instead of going out and lugging the bottles home, I get someone to deliver it to my doorstep!
I NEED GOOD WI-FI
Last week we worked from home but I was having a problem connecting to the Wi-Fi. The problem was solved when I used the LAN cable. The difference in speed was amazing.
PRODUCTIVE MCO
According to Grammarly, I’ve checked 1,018,672 words up to Dec 14. This is over 139 weeks. I was averaging 905.48 words per day before the start of MCO.
Since then, my average has increased to just above 1,400. I’ve been more productive during the various versions of MCO.
So boss, how? Ada bonus kah?
CHRISTMAS IN PRISON
With Covid-19 making us feel like prisoners in our homes, here’s a perfect John Prine number to celebrate the Christmas season.
