Many scientists expect the Covid-19 virus to become endemic, though it will not pose any more danger as time goes by.
As reported, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Michael Osterholm, stated that eradicating the Covid-19 virus right now from the world was unrealistic.
However, the failure to eradicate the virus did not mean death or being severely ill, he added, but it simply meant that the future would depend heavily on the immunity people acquired through vaccination.
He further explained that the combination of annual vaccines and acquired immunity would bring societies to tolerate the seasonal deaths and illnesses without requiring lockdowns, masks and physical distancing.
As living with the virus has been a part of us, knowing someone who is tested positive has been a normal occurrence for our nation as Malaysia has 1,593,602 positive Covid-19 cases as of Aug 25.
We would not be as scared as we were a year ago. Instead, we would be on alert and get ourselves tested immediately.
From Jan 3, 2020, to Aug 25 this year, there are 14,553 fatalities recorded in Malaysia and 508 of them are from Sarawak.
For Miss World Malaysia 2018 Larissa Ping Liew, she said that the journey as a Covid positive patient had been tough on her personally but it felt like it was her responsibility to spread the awareness of the virus to the community.
She shared that her experience being at the quarantine centre, the first few days was mentally and emotionally exhausting for her.
“I was not worried about myself in all honesty, but I was extremely worried about my grandmother and the rest of my close contacts.
“I did everything I could to cope and to make myself feel better each day. For this, I can’t thank my family and friends enough for always being there for me, virtually.”
She expressed that though it had been tough, she realised that it was a blessing in disguise.
“From this experience, I learned to appreciate every little thing like taking a deep breath or being able to taste my food.
“I was lucky enough my body could fight the virus when there were many others who struggled with it. I was blessed that I didn’t infect the people around me when many people in the quarantine centre couldn’t even sleep thinking about their family members who are fighting for their lives in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).”
Meanwhile, another Covid-19 survivor, Leonardo Mcalister (not his real name), shared that being infected was a tough time for him.
According to him, he had undergone a swab test twice and it showed that it was negative. However, the third swab was a heartbreaking moment for him.
Medical staff doing a swab test on a patient. Photo: Bernama
“Although I had received my second dose of Covid-19 vaccine on July 17, my third swab test which was done on Aug 14, turned out to be positive. I was informed that I had contracted the virus between Aug 11 and 13.
“I believe that I got infected when I was put under quarantine at the Quarantine Centre (QC) at Kolej Rafflesia.”
He shared that the medical staff at the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) were very friendly and efficient.
“Although the queue at the swab test centre was long, the waiting time was only about 30-40 minutes.
“From my perspective, I believe that the long waiting time is due to the centre prioritising the elderly and children below 12 years old to get their test first.”
Sharing his experience during quarantine, he stated that he felt rather unproductive.
“My quarantine days were quite boring in the sense that I had nothing to do except eating, sleeping and repeat.
“I had a high fever and cough right after my third swab test. However, I did some minor exercises to maintain my health while being quarantined,” he said, adding that after testing positive, he was put under home quarantine due to the QC being full.
On a similar note, Mohamad Shahrudin (not his real name) stated that being infected by the virus was beyond his expectation.
“I was symptomatic as I was experiencing fever from May 19 to 22. However, on the following day (May 23), I felt fine after I went for a swab test.
“Unfortunately, on May 25, I was declared positive and it left me speechless.”
Similar to Leonardo, Shahrudin had also undergone quarantine in his own home for 14 days.
“Alhamdulillah, after 14 days passed, I officially survived the Covid-19 virus and am now fully vaccinated.”
Advice from Covid-19 survivors
Ping noted that everyone was at risk of contracting the virus as long as they are not staying home.
“Though I have always been careful when I’m in and out of home, I still contracted the virus.
“Our country is at a stage where Covid-19 is no longer traceable and that is why it’s important to get yourself tested if you have an opportunity to do so.
“If not, then stay at home. Please do not wait until Covid-19 hits close to home. By then, it might be too late.”
She also reminded the community to think about the frontliners who are tirelessly trying to save everyone’s life.
“It was so hard for me to forgive myself for contributing to the daily cases, but I did my best to take care of myself, or maybe I could’ve done better.
“It’s all on us to stop the spread and it will only end if everyone does their part.”
Leonardo advised the community to never give up and to constantly motivate themselves in making sure that they are healthy physically and mentally.
“I would like to urge the community to get themselves vaccinated as it helps fight the virus. Thanks to my vaccine, I was categorised as Category 1 where I do not need extra medical attention.”
Meanwhile, Shahrudin said it was important to eat healthy and nutritious food and to always take Vitamin C supplements.
“We must also comply with the given standard operating procedure. This includes scanning the MySejahtera code in each premise that we enter so that it will be easier for the Ministry of Health to trace us if there is any case detected in that particular place.
“And of course, I would also remind the public to only go out of their homes when it is necessary. This way, we will at least be able to lessen the transmission of the virus.”
On another note, they all agreed as Covid-19 survivors, there should not be any stigma towards them.
“Like everyone else in the community, we do not want to be infected by the virus. Being treated differently just because we tested positive is utterly devastating.
“We were emotionally struggling knowing that we contracted the virus. Adding another negativity towards us will just hurt us emotionally more.”
They hoped that the community would be kinder to those who are tested positive as well as the survivors.
“By wishing the positive cases a speedy recovery is more than enough as it will at least lift their spirits even if it is just a little bit.”
Ever since the pandemic struck, the economy of our country had dropped drastically as the movement control order was implemented.
Some businesses had to close down which contributed to a lot of the people in the community being jobless.
“There was about 25 percent of which more than 1,500 eateries in the city were struggling due to the pandemic and some opted to close down last year.
“In the Gala City Commercial Centre alone, last year, there were seven eateries that had to close down due to the pandemic,” said Kuching Coffeeshop and Restaurants Owners Association committee member Kapitan Tan Yit Sheng.
If the pandemic persists, he added, operators would need to scale down, cut costs and employ fewer workers.
Meanwhile, a vegetable seller in Medan Niaga Satok here, Bobby Kimliang, said although the pandemic had greatly affected his business, he still needed to operate his stall to make ends meet.
“I have suffered a lot financially compared to before the pandemic struck. People fear going out buying fresh goods because the cases have skyrocketed these past few days.
“Nonetheless, I will still come here to sell the vegetables daily.”
He also disclosed that if his vegetables were not sold, he would give them away to his family, friends, and neighbours rather than leaving them rotting.
With the invisible virus still lingering in the nation, every business operator hopes that they and their business will be able to survive until the pandemic ends.
