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Home Recovery COVID-19 Cases Share Their Experience & Anxiety Over The Lack Of Instructions From MOH

2021-09-22 , 8:52 am

With the number of COVID-19 cases rising faster than your dog’s tail when you grab its leash, it’s important to ensure that our healthcare system isn’t overwhelmed.

This is why the authorities expanded the home recovery scheme for fully vaccinated COVID-19 cases, allowing those aged from 12 to 69 to recover from the disease at home, as they would with influenza.

Some confirmed cases have already tapped into this arrangement, which will become the default care management model.

Though it may seem like a win-win scenario for both patients and the authorities, the scheme does have its cons.

The Good

Speaking to Channel News Asia, one such person who chose to recover at home said he appreciated the new scheme.

The man, Jacob, does find it a little strange, however, to have to call his wife behind closed doors for coffee or water.

Just as is the protocol in quarantine at dedicated facilities, Jacob’s wife will leave the drink at the door, walk away, and Jacob will quickly pick it up before closing the door.

Upon testing positive last Friday (17 Sep), Jacob locked himself in their master bedroom, and said goodbye to his wife “for now”.

But unlike quarantining in a dedicated facility, you can still be close to your loved ones while in isolation.

The Bad

There are also downsides to recuperating at home, as another case under the home recovery scheme, Adam, pointed out.

Adam noted that our loved ones have their own schedules as well and that those recovering at home have to depend on them for food.

The household members will also need to attend to other errands such as buying groceries, which can place undue stress on them.

Plus, there’s also the risk of infecting other members of our household, even if we take all the necessary precautions.

This is why Adam said he’d prefer to move to a community care facility, to ease the pressure on his wife.

Lack of Communication from MOH

Both Jacob and Adam claimed that there was a lack of communication from the Ministry of Health (MOH) over what would happen to them, or when the home recovery period began.

While both of them took the initiative to self-isolate before any “official word” was heard, both claims that after filling up a form and being contacted for contact-tracing matters, MOH went into radio silence.

The ministry previously announced that a telemedicine provider would first carry out a remote assessment to ensure that the COVID-19 case is clinically well. After which, an officer called a Home Recovery Buddy would provide instructions throughout their recovery period.

But both men barely received any instructions, nor heard from their Home Recovery Buddy.

Telegram Support Group

The non-clarity of the situation drove one man, Jing Feng, into creating a support Telegram group called SG Quarantine Order Support Group.

His mother tested positive earlier and is recovering in the master bedroom while his father tested positive at a later date and is recovering at the guest bedroom.

MOH allegedly said they’ll send someone to bring his father to a quarantine facility “but no one came”.

The group was created to help individuals who do not know what to expect during home recovery and was reportedly not hearing back from MOH.

My intent (of starting the group) was just to calm everyone and let them know that they’re not alone, what to expect and where to call.”

Am I Eligible For Home Recovery?

If you would like to recover at home in the event that you test positive for COVID-19, do note that you must first meet the following requirements:

Fully vaccinated
Aged 12 to 69 years old
No severe comorbidities or illnesses
Able to self-isolate in a room, preferably with an attached bathroom
Have no household members aged over 80, or are in one of the vulnerable groups. (This includes pregnant women, those with a weakened immune response, or with multiple comorbidities)

As long as you fulfil these requirements, there’s no need to head to a hospital or community care facility first.

You must, of course, avoid any physical or face-to-face contact with the rest of the household during the recovery period, which will last 10 days.

You could also arrange to take a PCR test on Day 6, and if your result comes back negative, you may be discharged the next day.