“One day, inoperahan ako sa wisdom tooth ko, and akala ko yung naramdaman ko na panghihina and lagnat  dahil lang sa opera kasi dalawa yung wisdom tooth ko na impacted, so may natira pang isa kaya baka masama pakiramdam ko kasi masakit lang. But that’s what I thought.”

 

18-year-old Sarah (not her real name) thought she was just experiencing the aftermath of her wisdom teeth removal operation, but little did she know, she was already showing the first signs of the COVID-19 virus. 

 

Before the day of her dentist appointment, Sarah went first to the cemetery with her family to visit her great grandmother’s grave to celebrate her death anniversary. But it wasn’t here where she thought she got the virus. After her visit, she then went to her aunt to bring her food. This was when everything spiralled down. Her aunt was already self-isolating from fears of catching the virus from her workplace.   

 

“The day before maoperahan ako, galing kaming sementeryo kasi death anniversary ng lola ko sa tuhod. Required kami pumunta kahit ayaw naman talaga namin kasi compound kami bawal may maiwan. Tapos nung time din na ‘yon, ‘yong isang tita ko na nagtatrabaho sa bangko sa Quezon City naka isolate na, dinalhan ko pa siya ng pagkain sa kwarto niya pero ‘di naman kami nagkalapit plus naulanan kami bago umuwi galing sementeryo. So the day after, nanghihina na ko pag uwi galing dentist, kaya ‘di namin malaman kung saan nagmula, kung bakit ako nagka-COVID.” Sarah said. 

 

After she got home from the dentist, Sarah was already starting to experience symptoms of COVID-19 without her even knowing that she already acquired the virus. She was isolated in her house for a very long time before being transferred to a hospital.

 

“Sa symptoms, di ko na maalala ano yung nauna at nahuli, pero unti-unti ako nagkakasakit. Simula sa panghihina, lagnat, walang panlasa, walang gana kumain, may times na nanginginig ng sobra, pati tuhod ko nanlalamig di ko alam kung bakit, hard cough, sipon, sumasakit din tagiliran ko tas nahihirapan ako huminga,” Sarah said. 

 

She said that the she was fearful but at the same time, she didn’t want to be a burden to her family so she kept the symptoms to herself at first, a mistake she now regrets. 

 

“Hindi ako nagsabi sa parents ko kasi ayoko nang mag-alala si mama tsaka kaya ko pa naman i-handle.”

 

“Umabot ng one to almost two or three months kasi may nararamdaman  pa rin ako. Nakaisolate ako sa isang bahay namin dito sa compound, late na ko nadala sa isolation center kasi late na naasikaso ng cesu (City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit).”