I had been hearing how ‘scary’ it was to be swabbed…. there are social media posts and even word from friends that they got bleed due to the COVID swab. You can imagine how my heart sinks when I learned that I have possible exposure to another COVID case last week. This is the first time I lunched at Changi Airport Terminal 3 Kopitiam since I started work, and we got such a close encounter.
Timeline:
- 3 May 2021: Lunch with colleagues at Changi Airport Terminal 3 Kopitiam
- 6 May 2021: News reported that one of the COVID community cases involve a cleaner deployed to Changi Airport Terminal 3
- 9 May 2021: Received SMS from MOH that alert me of possible exposure to one of the COVID cases who had visited Changi Airport Terminal 3 on 3 May
- 10 May 2021: Received SMS from MOH that advise me to go for a government-funded swab in the late evening. Before this, I was still kidding with Kpo Kia papa that maybe he will need to go for the swab due to his company’s strict policies. When I might be able to ‘get away’ with the swab fate.
- 11 May 2021: Went for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Swab Test during lunchtime.
The nurse asked me to go home immediately after the swab… I had wanted to get a decent lunch before I head home T___T - 12 May 2021: Glad to receive the result in less than 24hrs via SMS, I am NEGATIVE!
The PCR result is shown on 11 May 8:44PM but I received the SMS only next day around 10am. Heard the turnaround time is more recently because of the increasing cases of COVID infection.
Some thoughts that went through my mind during this whole saga:
- I should have dined in as much as possible instead of going out to breath ‘fresh air’
- I need to be more responsible and force Kpo Kia to take note of her own hygiene
- What if I carry the COVID virus and spread it to my loved ones while remaining asymptomatic?
- I will prepare my own lunch moving forward when I have to work from the office. Our office HR had not changed the 50% of employees should work at the workplace policy since this is in line with government guidelines. And I once again feel how an ambiguous guideline can impact us negatively based on individual interpretation.
Anyway, I am glad to know more once that my “negativity” is good for those around me.
Stay home, stay safe, Singapore.
