If you’re feeling unwell, please don’t lie!
Testing for the COVID-19 virus is so important because it helps people with the virus to get treatment when they need it, and they can be isolated from others to help stop the transmission of the virus.
Photo via The Star
So, sometimes you can feel scared, anxious, or even embarrassed to find out if you’ve been infected with the virus…
But remember that it is not your fault and that you should always tell health officers the truth about where you’ve been and who have you been in contact with recently.
On Tuesday (22 December), Nur Marini Zainal shared on her Facebook page about how one health officer had sadly tested positive for COVID-19, after a patient lied about his health condition during a screening.
PESAKIT TIPU DI SARINGAN, PETUGAS KESIHATAN MENJADI MANGSA COVID Seorang pesakit telah datang ke hospital dan telah...
Posted by Nur Marini Zainal on Tuesday, December 22, 2020
The patient was allowed to enter the hospital premises to undergo a CT scan because he was healthy. But Nur Marini, being a doctor who was in charge of the scanning procedures, was shocked to find that the patient’s lungs were similar to a COVID-19 patient’s lungs.
In her post, she said: “He admitted that he had been coughing and had a fever for a week. What he did troubled everyone in the department. He tested positive for COVID-19 two days later.”
She was told that there is no need for quarantine or swab tests because she complied with the SOPs strictly, and that the patients she dealt with were all low-risk patients, and that all of them wore surgical masks.
Feeling uneasy, Dr. Marini decided to take a swab test at a different hospital. She also worked for another two days before she quarantined herself.
Her result then came back positive for COVID-19.
In her post, she said: “I cried when I found out. I am sad to be separated from my children and husband. I am scared and worried that I might’ve infected my family, colleagues, and I am very disappointed with my patient’s attitude.”
She urges patients to not lie to anyone, especially when feeling ill, “We are human, too,” she added.
The Health director-general Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah took to his own Facebook page urging people to not lie to the frontliners.
Jangan TIPU frontliners KAMI juga perlu dilindungi, kami ada keluarga, ada rakan2 Jangan anaiya frontliners
Posted by Noor Hisham Abdullah on Saturday, December 26, 2020
His caption reads: “We, too, have families and friends, and we, too, need to be protected.”
Please be responsible for yourself and the people around you.
We should take care of our frontliners who have worked selflessly and tirelessly to take care of those who are unwell. We’re all in this together!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
