You would never like to be separated from your own family in an isolated hospital room, take heed of the Ministry of Health’s directives to be safe.

This was the impassioned plea made by COVID-19 case 78, the 40-year-old woman from Wainitarawau Settlement yesterday.

The woman, her husband and three of their children have recovered from the virus and are currently in another 14-day isolation at their home in Cunningham.

Her 14-year-old and four-year-old daughters remain in isolation at the Navua Hospital.

Speaking to the Fiji Sun yesterday, the woman said being obedient to advisories by the Ministry of Health was the only way to flush out this virus.

She said being away from members of her own family in the same isolation facility was never easy.

“We were isolated for almost 17days, people need to understand that being in isolation is not like living a luxury life in a hotel room,” she said.

“You are a virus carrier.

“Even when we are in the same isolation centre, we never meet. We are put in separate rooms and that makes it even harder.

“I would yell from one corner so that my children would hear me saying good morning to them. You cannot even go outside, sometimes we get tired of lying down.

“Sometimes we just stare from our room window to catch a glimpse of the outside environment.

“It was tough, but our prayers kept us going.”

THE VIRUS IS REAL
She said the public needed to understand that the virus was real, and people must take it seriously.

“It is not the usual fever that we would always experience, I could feel my body was always heating up as I experienced coughs.

“My husband woke up unexpectedly one night because he felt that he was finding it difficult to
breath.”

However, she said none of them had experienced very severe symptoms and had to use a ventilator.

She said the only way the nation could eradicate the virus was for the public to present themselves in a fever clinic to be screened when they experience symptoms.

“Other than that, it is basically staying home and obeying all ministry of Health advisories that have been announced by the Ministry.”

SWIFT ACTION
She said taking health directives and advisories lightly were forcing themselves into isolation.

“For my family it was our swift action to present ourselves at the fever clinic as soon as we heard that my aunt had tested positive in Lautoka. That saved us,” she said.

“When I heard that my aunty was tested positive for the virus and after I heard the announcement by

Dr James Fong, I told my husband that we needed to go and visit the Raiwaqa fever clinic.

“We were swabbed on Tuesday and on Wednesday I was positive of the virus.

“It was our swift action and obedience that really saved a lot of other people from contracting the virus.”

Edited by Selita Rabuku

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