Lessons learned from COVID patients

"Hello po.., Good morning/ afternoon po Ma'am/ Sir, dolor po ito sa ---- tinatawagan at kinakamusta lang po namin mga Covid patients po natin" (Hello, good morning ma'am/ sir, this is dolor from ---- , we are just calling you being a Covid patient to know how are you doing?)

This is how I usually start my call to COVID confirmed patients. Yes, it has been an additional task for us to call them, to know their situation, and possibly address their needs/ concerns.

With the number of patients I have called, here are some lessons learned from them:

• Having a hobby is a must

  Have a hobby that does not require outdoor equipment. Being admitted to an isolation facility is super boring since you have to spend mornings to evenings for 14 days in the four corners of the provided room.

  A patient once joked: "Hindi ako mamamatay sa COVID, pero mamamatay ako dahil sa walang ginagawa" (I will not die from Covid, but might die from boredom).

  At least, the city was able to install an internet connection at the isolation facilities for the patients to have pastime browsing the internet. However, not all are enjoying screen time most of the time.

  A Senior Citizen shared that he uses his isolation time meditating on the word of God. How amazing he is. (How I wish I can also do it).

• Get in touch with your family members

  I know this is not the right time to get cheesy and that with your family, but why not use this opportunity to re-connect with your family (in case there are some issues).

  A patient shared that he still manages to communicate with his family, asking how they are, and still being a father to them even while he is separated for the meantime.

  Our families also serve as our source of hope and motivation to get better.

• Ask for help when needed

  Yes, we need to learn how to be independent, but at times like this, we need to ask for help from other people specifically our family, relatives, and friends.

  The old phrase "no one is an island" is very true..., We definitely need help in this situation.

  A patient told me: "Ma'am, nakakahiya po pero baka maari po akong makisuyo?" That's not a problem to us since it's our job to help.

• Have a list of emergency numbers (offices and relatives you can call for help)

  I had this call answered by the patients' son about the need to transfer his father to a hospital located in another province since hospitals in the city are almost full. The son was able to keep a list of emergency numbers in their home that made it easy for him to coordinate things. Thinking about it, if he doesn't have a copy of the contact number, how would he be able to help his father..?

• Always be positive

  Positive outlook in life and not in the RT-PCR test. We might not like what happened, but there is still hope and that we can overcome this.

• Always have a supply of foods

  Yes, it's a must to have a stock of ready to eat foods at home, not for boring days, but for emergency purposes..,

  One of the concerns we usually receive if the patient is brought to the isolation facility is the worry towards their family members left at home with no food supply.

  *Though it is part of our duty to provide families on quarantine with food assistance. But what if we don't have any more supply?

• Stay healthy

  Boost your immune system.., not to undergo the hassle of being isolated.

This article might have bored you, but the works of the following are much better.., check them out

While writing this, I remember our office has not implemented Alternative Work Arrangements since the onset of the pandemic. At first, I felt bad and got annoyed with the head of the office. But during the past days, while there are already officemates inflicted with the virus and some officemates are undergoing quarantine. This resulted in not having someone man the unit offices, while some are being closed. For the continuity of service, some staff is being pulled out to augment at other units (just like what happened to me last week).

This made me think how hard it is for our head of office to deal with the situation. To decide to approve alternative work arrangements such as work from home. Our office cannot be closed because of the need to provide social services, especially at this moment. Literally, "mapipilayan ang office"...

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Stay Healthy and Stay Safe..., not for our own but for our loved ones 😊