QUARANTHINGS: Covid-19 Positive

'Tis the season to be jolly Fa la la la, la la la 🎼. But not for us guys hahaha. We welcomed the first of the Ber months, September, on a sad note. All of us in this group were quarantined. This is the reason why we weren't able to post anything for a long while right after our introduction post.

But don't worry everyone, we're okay now. It was a long two weeks. Being isolated from everyone is disheartening. COVID19 virus is spreading so fast here in the Philippines that the WHO said Delta variant is now the dominant virus here. 26,000 new positive cases in a day; sadly, one of them is our very own, Jaya.

Timeline of Jaya's Recovery Journey:

Aug 24 - The company nurse called her early in the morning and told her that she had to undergo 14 days quarantine because she was reported as close contact of a colleague who got positive with COVID. In the afternoon, Jaya felt somebody pain and extreme tiredness. She decided to sleep but woke up with a fever.

Aug 25 - She decided to take an RT-PCR (Swab) Test at DOH7. She still has an on and off fever.
Aug 26 - She still has an on and off fever and a runny nose.
Aug 27 - The Cebu City Health Emergency Operations Center called her and told her that she was POSITIVE with COVID. Her family had to swab right away. Jaya was then pulled out and quarantined at a local hotel near them. She doesn't have a fever anymore but still has a runny nose, dry cough, and she lost her sense of smell.

_{This is the result of Jaya's swab test, which indicates that she is positive with COVID.}

_{Our colleagues helped her in looking for a hotel facility that is affordable and near their home and Hotel Pier Cuatro meets the requirement.

Photo Credits: Hotel Pier Cuatro Facebook Page}

_{This is what the room looks like and the inclusion of their isolation package.

Photo Credits: tripadvisor.com}

Aug 28 to Aug 29 - She still has a runny nose and a cough.

_{These are some of the meals served at Hotel Pier Cuatro. The staff will leave the food pack on a chair outside the room, and then they will knock; the patient can then open the door and get the food.}

_{Jaya's friends and the company itself sent some food and treated, hoping that she could recover fast and return well. Deliveries are left at the hotel lobby, and the hotel staff will bring them to the rooms.}

Aug 30 - Jaya's mom tested POSITIVE of COVID19 also, and just like Jaya, she was pulled out and stayed in the hotel where Jaya is. Luckily, she's asymptomatic.
Aug 30 to Sept 3 - Jaya's symptoms were gone.

Sept 4 - She was finally released from the hotel quarantine facility.

_{On Jaya's releasing day, the hotel staff made a telephone call in her room and told her that the City Health Department had sent her quarantine certificate and she could finally go out from isolation. She was instructed to proceed to the lobby to make a payment and claim her certificate.}

In another dimension, the 3 of us (Teresa, Jessa, and Cian) got isolated in our own homes and monitored ourselves for symptoms. We separated ourselves from the outside world for 14 days too. Good thing that we never showed any COVID signs while on quarantine. The 4 of us were able to do Work from Home as approved by our bosses. At least we'll have something to do to ease our minds from worries. We worked Mondays to Fridays the whole day and had caught up in zoom meetings some days with our supervisor.

Our foods are abundant and provided by our families and friends. It was not a sad experience, because of foods once again: our all-time favorite hahaha. Lots of foods now and then, and we can never be thankful enough for that. Medicines were also provided for us to boost our immune system. We're beyond grateful for everyone who got our back during these times, quarantined or not.

_{Jessa's family cooked Pinakbet for her to be healthy and boost her immunity. This is one of the best ways to fight COVID.}

_{Cian, our certified foodie, never failed us with his food. He ate mouth-watering foods every day even while being quarantined.}

At the end of the day, we are still so lucky to be able to have a choice during this pandemic. Because others don't. That's why all we can do is be thankful every single day for all the blessings that we're receiving and pray that others will be blessed too. We can show us being thankful by helping others since we can. A little help will mean a lot to them. This pandemic will really make us re-evaluate ourselves. So many things to be thankful for and everyday is a reminder for to us to stay strong amidst all the problems we're facing! Say safe everyone. 😷😄

Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy. -Fred De Witt Van Amburgh