KUCHING: As a former Covid-19 patient, Nurul Nur Akma Mohd Salleh has always reminded her media colleagues and anyone who is active in outdoor activities to always adhere strictly to Covid-19 prevention standard operating procedures (SOPs).
The TVS news presenter, who is fondly known as Akma, said those who experienced symptoms should do a swab test immediately, either by buying the Rapid Antigen Test Kit (RTK-Ag) at pharmacies or undergoing the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) at private or government health facilities.
Looking back, she said she initially did not experience any symptoms and therefore, went to work as usual.
“I only started having fever after my husband (Mohd Fiqri Razak) and my in-laws had fever.
“I assumed it was just a normal fever and still went to work.
“However, I suspected something was wrong after my body temperature rose and I was also shivering.
“I was working at the time, and decided to only work half day,” she said, adding that on her way back home, she stopped at a pharmacy to buy the RTK-Ag kit.
As soon as she got home, she immediately tested herself and to her shock, the result was positive.
“I cried and was very sad to see the results. I was worried that I had infected my colleagues and the public.
“The normal fever I thought was apparently a sign I was infected with Covid-19.”
Elaborating further, Akma said the next day, she and her husband underwent RT-PCR at Normah Specialist Medical Centre because her husband’s RTK-Ag test result was negative.
“At first, I thought I was the virus carrier since my husband’s RTK-Ag test was negative.
“However, after undergoing a swab test at Normah Specialist Medical Centre, we were both confirmed positive.
“We’re not sure of the cause and to this day, I still feel guilty,” she said, adding that besides her and her husband, the house was also occupied by her two in-laws, all of whom tested positive.
According to Akma, besides having flu, recurrent fever (only fever in the afternoon to night) and chills, she also had cough, which she felt like coming from the lungs and not the throat.
She added that when she was about to leave the quarantine centre, she lost her sense of taste and smell — by drinking warm water mixed with lemon and honey, both senses returned to normal after a few days.
“Despite being released from the quarantine centre (Aminuddin Baki Institute) a few days ago, my cough has not subsided.
“Because of this cough, my voice is momentarily lost.”
In the meantime, Akma hoped that the community would continue to be aware of the dangers of Covid-19, moreover now that Sarawak has begun the transition from pandemic to endemic phase.
“To those who have family members or friends who are positive for Covid-19, give them moral support and be a listener as it helps reduce their stress.”
