M'sian Dad Spends 4 Nights On Wheelchair In Emergency Ward Before Succumbing To COVID-19

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In an eight-slide carousel post published on Instagram on 17 August, the person writing the post — who only wishes to be known as Jeremy — shared how he and his family combated COVID-19 which infected every one of them.

On 16 July, his mother went out to receive her first dose of the vaccine. His father tagged along.

Two days later, his mother started showing signs of fever but the family assumed that it was just a side effect of the vaccine.

Her condition persisted the next day and his family thought that maybe their mother was one of few people whose side effects lasted longer than usual cases.

But his father decided to get the both of them tested with a Rapid Test Kits (RTK) just to be sure.

"My mum's RTK (result) came back positive. As RTK test was considered to be inaccurate at times, the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test served as a confirmation but the result was only to be received the very next day," Jeremy wrote.

In the end, not only did his parents test positive for COVID-19, but also his grandmother, uncle, sister, and himself.

"Everyone in the house quarantined and distanced themselves from one another and slept in different areas of the house. Symptoms such as fever, cough, flu, intense migraines, headaches, and the loss of smell and taste were showing," he recounted.

Speaking to SAYS, Jeremy said his father's vaccination appointment was a few days after the whole family tested positive.

Thus, his father had to skip his vaccination.

A healthy person's SpO2 should be between 95 and 99.

Jeremy said that his father's SpO2 was at a similar level to his mother's. That night, they instructed Jeremy to bring them to the hospital.

"I drove them to the nearest private hospital and described to them the whole [situation], stating that both my parents had shortness of breath and had to be admitted immediately," he wrote.

"But the doctors in the hospital, without even checking on my parents who were in critical condition, told me to just bring them elsewhere as they were full."

After being rejected from admission, Jeremy called up more than 10 hospitals in Klang Valley and he was told that all of them were full.

"Some hospitals had waiting lists of up to almost 80 to 100+ over people but none of the hospitals, after listening that my parents needed medical attention, would accept us," he said.

His father called the ambulance before he could. It took the medical team an hour to arrive.

"My mum's face looked slightly blue due to the lack of oxygen, their breaths were short," he said.

"They were admitted to a government hospital in Klang. My mum was admitted into the hospital as a Stage 4 (patient) and was given a bed and ward. My dad, on the other hand, was neglected although he was considered a Stage 3 patient. The hospital was full and my father was only given a wheelchair to sleep on."

As the rest of his family recovered from the COVID-19 symptoms and eventually tested negative for the virus by 5 August, Jeremy's father had been sleeping in the wheelchair for the past four days. He did not rest well.

"No information could be provided on the condition of my dad as he was in the emergency department of the hospital," Jeremy continued.

"My mother, on the other hand, saw improvements overall. My aunt asked my dad if he wanted to be transferred to a private hospital but he refused. He wanted my mum to be transferred first and only then would he want to be transferred as she was in far more critical (condition)."

Jeremy went to the hospital on 5 August and managed to have a chat with his father. His father told him that he was feeling better.

"[The] doctor said that the [COVID-19] pneumonia was not the only infection that affected him but other infections he obtained [while] he was waiting for a bed in the emergency department," Jeremy said.

"The doctors [had] neglected his need for medical attention. CT (computerised tomography) scans were still not scheduled for."

Following which, he was told to prepare for the worst as his father's condition was not severe enough to be prioritised for a CT scan.

On 10 August, he received news that his mother would be discharged. He arrived at the hospital at 6.45pm.

When he walked up to his mother's ward at 7pm, he was told to collect some medicine for his mother from a floor below.

"[At] 7.20pm, I walked back to the lift ready to go up back to my mother's ward to discharge her. However, at around 7.23pm, I made a quick prayer in the lift, praying that my dad who was [on] the first floor of the same building would recover faster as my mum could be discharged now," he recounted.

"At 7.26pm, the moment I stood in front of my mother's ward, the hospital called and said my dad had passed a minute earlier."

"I lost a good man that day and until this day can't accept how sudden everything was."

"You will be missed fondly by your family, especially by your comical personality, charming, and friendly persona. God has taken you away from me peacefully on 10 August and words cannot describe how much I miss you and [am] grieving for you right now," he lamented.

Jeremy described him as a great and caring father who wanted nothing but the best for his family.

He also reminisced all the road trips they had with just two of them, saying he will always cherish those moments.

"My heart aches that I have never gotten (sic) to say goodbye but have at least gotten (sic) to say 'I love you' the night before you were intubated as your health deteriorated [due to COVID-19]."

Many netizens sent their condolences to his family and thanked Jeremy for sharing his experience.

Below is his account of his family's fight against COVID-19: