I did the Antigen Rapid Test (ART) at the 72-hour mark after first testing positive last Thursday morning. And the result today? Still positive! I’m not surprised. However, I feel like I’m on the side of recovery. I don’t have a cough. I don’t have a fever (unless it’s managed very well by the 500mg of paracetamol I take every four hours). I only have a sore throat when I wake up in the morning… which is probably due to being thirsty since the body is fighting this virus while I’m sleeping. Today, I feel like it’s more of a cold. I have a slightly runny nose but very manageable. I’ve experienced worse.

On Day 4, I think I can safely put together a small timeline of what’s happened in the past week:

Day of the week	What I was feeling	ART Test
Sunday, Oct 2	Last time I was outside in the general public / Sentosa and VivoCity / Singapore Grand Prix finale (watched at home) / Risk assessment: Low to medium (mall was crowded, but I was masked indoors)	—
Monday, Oct 3	“Injury” at the gym in my building (heard a snap on my lower left abdomen) / Risk assessment: Low to medium (gym was clean! and not crowded at the time I visited)	—
Tuesday, Oct 4	Soreness on my left abdomen, really bad fever at night but tested negative	Negative
Wednesday, Oct 5	Went to my GP (clinic) and Singapore General Hospital for a day of waiting, x-rays, blood test, all concluding that there is no serious injury from the gym	Negative
Thursday, Oct 6	Woke up at 5:00 AM with really bad cough, took an ART… tested POSITIVE, started 72 hour isolation	Positive
Friday, Oct 7	Covid-Positive / Day 2 blog here	Positive
Saturday, Oct 8	Covid-Positive / Day 3 blog here	Positive
Sunday, Oct 9	Covid-Positive, feel like there’s improvement	Positive

The original problem this past week is this pain on my left lower abdomen which is why I had to take medical leave on Wednesday to see the GP and go to SGH for an x-ray. I doubt that’s where I got infected because I tested positive too quickly, the next day. I must’ve gotten infected last weekend during Formula 1 when the town was busy with everyone out on the streets.

Actually it doesn’t matter. I’m wasting space just typing blah about it. You really can get it anywhere, maybe even from the least suspecting place or from the strangest location (a handlebar on an escalator lol). The vaccine and the booster is working, as what I’m experiencing appears to be very mild… like in that pie chart on the MOH website. I’m part of the 99.8% thank goodness.

Is this virus a joke though? Certainly not. It’s killed people I know. It’s killed the family members of people I love. It’s certainly not a joke. I’m thinking about wearing masks again indoors. It’s not about me, or my comfort levels. I’m thinking about the people around me that might be susceptible for a far more serious infection.

To keep myself entertained on the fourth day of self-isolation, I’ve finally found my stride on Banana Fish. I used to fall asleep since reading captions while high on medicine wasn’t a good combo. It’s… an interesting series. They dive so casually into themes of sexual assault, abuse… nevermind I also identify as a victim of sexual assault, but I’m taking it lightly. It’s an anime (or a manga, in its original format). It also reminds me to resume studying Japanese. It’s been a few months since my last course.

What’s on my mind? How am I going to bravely go out into the world again when, even with how cautious I’ve always been – from dining out to mask-wearing – I still turned out positive. Will it stop me from going to the gym? Will it stop me from attending events which I was just starting to do again? I don’t know.

***