In a long account circulating online, patient 37 infected by COVID-19 wrote about some of the “darkest” moments he experienced while being quarantined.
Case 37 is a 53-year-old private-hire car driver, and his account of being hospitalised has been circulating on Facebook since Sunday (Mar 8).
In his account, he shared that though Singapore confirmed the first case of COVID-19 on Jan 23, and everyone around him warned him to take precautions, his sentiment then was, “it is more difficult to strike lottery than contacting the virus”.
However, he added that on Jan 30, the slight cough he contracted developed into a fever he described as “roller coaster and did not completely subside” by Feb 6, he got himself admitted at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital after visiting their Accident and Emergency Ward.
When he was diagnosed with the Coronavirus (as it was called then), he said, “Due to the seriousness I was informed by the doctor that they will insert a tube in my throat and I will be paraylsed by medication. I have no idea what I would be expecting and the next 8 days were my darkest day of my life!”
Case 37 wrote about how he remembers being strapped in to a hospital bed, unable to move. He also said that he was not aware of opening his eyes and looking at his surroundings.
“Under the influence of medication, I have (sic) illusions and heard music playing, people talking, beer cheering (sic) and I imagined that I could be in a hotel room converted facility due to shortage of hospital beds”, he added.
“Eventually on Valentine’s day, I (sic) able to open my eyes and found myself in a double glass doors room with all the life supporting equipment surrounding me. The tube earlier mentioned is actually a large piece of plastic in my mouth with a tube leading to the lung, opening my air passage which had restricted my speech”, he recounted.
That day, he was also told by doctors that he was recovering quickly and that he would be transferred out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to an isolation ward.
After being visited by his family, he wrote, “It is during crisis that the display of humanity warmed my hearts”. (sic)
“As I am penning down my encounter, it is my 15thday in the isolation ward which is another room with double glass doors and private bathroom. On the first three days here, I was not allowed to leave my bed, still hooked on oxygen supply and liquid food through drip. Soon on the 4th day, I was given solid food instead and had my first bath (myself) since I admitted”, (sic) he journaled.
Towards the end of his encounter, he explained that in order to be discharged from the hospital, he would have to achieve two consecutive negative tests for a nose swab.
“Today is the 1stMarch, I achieved negative (sic) test result on the 29th Feb yesterday. If today result is negative again, MOH will be consulted to obtain green light from them for my discharge which could happen even tonight”, he wrote.
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Case 37 was discharged from hospital on March 2. /TISG