Within an hour of being informed on March 21 that she had tested positive for COVID-19, Schoko was riding in an ambulance to a hospital.
“I felt like I was in a spaceship, being transported to an alien planet,” said Schoko, a Taiwanese in her 30s, who asked not to use her proper name.
When she arrived at the hospital in New Taipei City, she entered a negative pressure isolation room, followed by two people in full protective gear, who disinfected everything in her wake.
Photo courtesy of Schoko via CNA
That was only the first step on a journey that would last 22 days before Schoko could leave her “alien planet.”
It started in the middle of last month, when she awoke one morning feeling exhausted. By the afternoon, she had developed a slight temperature, and she went to see a doctor, who gave her medication to reduce the fever.
A few days later, she realized that she had lost her sense of taste.
“My tongue felt numb,” she said. “Even the texture of rice felt different.”
She immediately went to a hospital to be tested for COVID-19. When the results came back, she officially became one of Taiwan’s 33 locally infected cases of COVID-19.
Her boyfriend, who had been in quarantine because of his contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient, also tested positive.
Schoko said that although she panicked when she received her COVID-19 test results, she began to calm down after she was admitted to the hospital and realized that she was in good hands.
For starters, her negative pressure isolation room was nothing like the stark white space she had imagined, she said, adding that it was spacious, with large windows and a bathroom.
Schoko soon adapted to a daily routine that started at 6am, when medical personnel in full protective gear arrived to collect nasal swabs.
Throughout the day, she would check her own temperature, blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, which helped to minimize her contact with the medical staff.
Still, they came to her room to bring her meals and medication, staying only a few minutes each time.
“Even though I was sick, my symptoms were mild, and I wanted to maintain some sense of normalcy,” Schoko said, adding that she spent time chatting on the telephone with her family and friends, and performing some aspects of her job remotely.
She also set up a Facebook page, titled “Pause for a moment,” which she has been using to document her experiences since being confirmed with COVID-19, as well as to remind her to pause and remember the things she treasures in life, like her loved ones and pet cat.
She hopes that the page can provide a positive message about coping with the disease at a time when there is a lot of panic surrounding the pandemic, she said.
After 22 days in isolation, Schoko was discharged on April 11, and her bill was less than NT$2,200.
With her national health insurance coverage and government subsidies for patients with transmittable disease, she was required to pay only 1.2 percent of the total cost.
None of Schoko’s relatives or colleagues tested positive for COVID-19, but some of her close friends did, and because of her case, the company at which she worked had to close temporarily.
Schoko said that she felt guilty, and was worried about her colleagues, some of whom were forced out by their landlords during their required 14-day self-quarantine.
However, not all landlords are that harsh, she said, adding that some sent her coworkers fruit and meals during their self-isolation.
“This is a crucial time when humanity is being tested,” she said. “I hope everyone can show a bit more empathy, offer support to those who need it, and remember that kindness is a choice.”
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