4 unexpected things you might not know about home-quarantine, until you actually kena.

Yikes. Our cases have finally hit the 20k+ mark. But as daunting as that number might seem, the thought of getting infected with C-19 isn’t what it used to be; instead of rigid C-19 regimens in large quarantine centers filled with beds, we now see a majority of our active cases recovering from the comforts of their own homes.

So, when I first found out a week ago that I had tested positive for C-19, I was mentally preparing myself to head to the nearest hospital in order to get assessed by a team of doctors and having to wear one of those pink wristbands. But to my complete surprise, I didn’t have to meet a single medical professional throughout my ENTIRE quarantine period. How does that work??

And that’s not all. I realized that there were a few other things that I really couldn’t have known until I experienced getting C-19 myself. For example:

1. You don’t have to see a doctor… unless your symptoms are bad.

Unlike how things were in the beginning, you can most likely just quarantine yourself at home the moment you find out that you have C-19 without even having to meet a single medical professional. Like in my case, when I found out I had tested positive for C-19, all that I really needed to do was to do a self-report through MySejahtera and instantly began quarantining myself.

Once you’ve reported yourself as a positive case, your MySejahtera profile should turn red, and you’ll be given a Home Isolation/Surveillance Order which will have your details on it and the length of your quarantine period, like this:

The length of your quarantine period would differ according to your vax status, but if you’re fully vaxxed, it it would usually only last a week from when you tested positive. You can check out the table below for more info on the quarantine periods for positive cases and close contacts:

Additionally, you’ll start being asked to fill in a few things on MySejahtera. One of which being…

2. The daily Health Assessment Tool (HAT) becomes your new doctor.

Especially since we have over 20k+ cases a day, the KKM probably doesn’t have enough time and resources to check on each and every single positive case. So, as a way to monitor your symptoms and assess your risks without having you to physically go places, the KKM came up with a daily Health Assessment Tool (HAT) that can be accessed through MySejahtera itself.

You’ll usually get a notification for you to do it, but you can also find it under the “Things to Do” tab under the main page. But in case you get lost, you can check out this video by the KKM.

There’s about two health assessments each day; one in the morning and one in the evening. They’ll ask you about your symptoms, along with other readings like your blood pressure and oxygen saturation. (TL;DR: it’s basically a daily questionnaire that people with C-19 need to fill out about their current status.) 

Oh, and the daily health assessment tool can be pretty easy to miss though, but don’t worry. If you forget to fill it up in time, you’ll start getting threats reminders through SMS from the KKM telling you to get it done.

Your C-19 status will also change according to the symptoms that you exhibit, so if at any point your status changes to something like this…

Don’t panic. All you’ll have to do is…

3. If your status isn’t Category (CAT) 1 or 2a, go to a C-19 Assessment Center.

Even though most people should be able to quarantine themselves at home without many issues, unfortunately C-19 can still be pretty deadly, especially for people of a certain age and/or with certain comorbidities. Thus, home-quarantine only applies to people who are asymptomatic (no symptoms) and those who are only exhibiting any mild symptoms like the typical sore throat, slight cough, and a runny nose.

So, if your status changes to anything other than Category (CAT) 1 or 2a, or if you’re starting to exhibit any mildly concerning symptoms, you might get a call/text from the KKM advising you to head to your nearest C-19 Assessment Center (CAC) to get yourself assessed.

There, you’ll be assessed by the medical officers in charge who will decide if you’re unfit for at-home treatment. For your convenience, here’s a few up-to-date links to the CAC’s within Malaysia, or you can also call the virtual CAC hotline at 03-77239299:

• Selangor
• Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya
• Pahang
• Perak
• Penang
• Negeri Sembilan
• Kedah
• Johor
• Terengganu
• Melaka
• Kelantan
• Sabah
• Perlis
• Sarawak
• Labuan

However, if you start to feel serious symptoms like having trouble breathing, immediately call 999 or head directly to your nearest hospital for medical treatment.

Other than that, as long as you’re not showing any concerning symptoms and have a proper place to isolate yourself in, you should be good to recover from the comforts of your own home. And speaking of recovering at home, you should probably rest during your week in quarantine because…

4. You’re applicable for leave while recovering from C-19.

Though this may be common sense to some, there are quite a number of people out there who think that they should continue to work despite literally having C-19. Unfortunately, I was also one of those people; I thought that since I was already working from home, I was obligated to continue with my duties since my symptoms didn’t seem all that bad. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Though I was able to work during my second day of quarantine, my symptoms got much worse on the third day- to the point where my C-19 status changed from Category 2a to Alert. This was when I finally gave in and talked to HR, before finding out that I had been applicable for leave all along.

Yup. When you’re recovering from the ‘rona, you’re entitled to sick leave for as long as the KKM has mandated for you to self-isolate. Of course the process of applying for leave would largely differ from company to company, but in my case? All I really needed to show was my Home Isolation/Surveillance Order in MySejahtera as proof. Oh yeah, and your employers cannot minus your annual leave also ah.

After all, once your week is done and you’re feeling better…

You’re back to normal once the clock strikes 12!

Finally, once your week of quarantine is over, your MySejahtera profile should automatically turn back to the blue ‘Low Risk’ profile at midnight on your final day of isolation. You can finally go back outside and socialize with other humans in-person again! Woohoo!

Edit: After some confusion, I wanna clarify that 12am in this sense refers to the midnight after your final day of quarantine. For example: If your quarantine ends on the 1st of March, your MySejahtera profile should only turn blue at 0:00 on the 2nd of March.

Buuut until then, take the week to rest and recover cause all you really gotta focus on right now is to not allow your symptoms to worsen. I’m gonna leave you with a few little “survival tips/pointers” on some of the things you might wanna do or have on-hand during your quarantine to make it as smooth as possible:

1. Keep an Oximeter, Thermometer, and BP Monitor with you, since the daily Health Assessment Tool (HAT) will ask for your readings each day. They’ll also help you monitor your own symptoms.
2. If you live with other people, make sure you stay isolated from them in another room. They’re also most probably going to have to look after you for the next week so… get on their good side.
3. If you are only exhibiting mild symptoms like slight coughs and a runny nose, having some simple over-the-counter medication like cough syrup would suffice. When in doubt, refer to a pharmacist or doctor.
4. The people you live with will have to report themselves as close contacts and get themselves tested. Fortunately, if they test negative, they won’t have to quarantine themselves anymore, effective today.
5. Make sure you fill out the Health Assessment Tool (HAT) as accurately as possible, so you’ll know if you need to seek medical attention. And if your symptoms start to turn serious, head directly to a hospital or call 999.

Stay safe and healthy, guys!