On the 28th of Tet (the 22nd of January according to the Gregorian Calendar), our family of three prepared to return home for the occasion. At that time, information regarding cases of pneumonia in Wuhan was not readily published online. However – to stay proactive – I still bought masks for my wife, my son, and myself. At the airport, we noticed changes when we saw both the staff and passengers were wearing masks.
After arriving in Vietnam, we felt pretty safe because we returned from Chengdu before any confirmed cases had been reported. Throughout the holidays in Vietnam, I kept on monitoring the latest news regarding the outbreak on an hourly basis to provide timely solutions to the Branch in case requests of refunds, cancellations, etc.,. Looking at the number of infected cases and the death toll, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the people of China.
On the 30th of January, I was still able to buy hand sanitizers for my coworkers in Chengdu as disinfectants had become rare commodities there. However, the morning after – as the first two confirmed cases in Vietnam made headlines – hand sanitizers and masks were immediately sold out.
My family counted the days – anxious to pass the 14-day virus incubation period. Unfortunately, on the evening of the 31st of January, my son had a high fever of 39.5 degrees Celsius. We were very worried but still hoped that it was just the common flu because my son didn’t cough or have a runny nose. After observing him for a day and seeing no signs of improvement, we took him to the National Hospital of Pediatrics.
My son had a blood test and a chest x-ray. After informing doctors that we had just returned from China on the 22nd of January, my whole family was immediately requested to move to another room before entering the hospital’s quarantine zone. A blood sample of my son was also taken and sent to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases for testing. On my way to the quarantine zone, I could feel people’s curious and awkward gaze befalling us.
I will always remember what the nurse said: “There’s no leaving after entering this room.” I still feel scared when recalling that memory. The quarantine room was separated from the outside with two doors and locked windows. There was no telling if it was rain or shine, day or night. Sometimes, we could hear the echoes of people walking and talking outside. The room’s temperature was steadily maintained at 25 degrees Celsius. All of our meals were provided by the hospital. Our relatives could bring items in but not out. At around 9 AM every day, a doctor came to examine my son and gave him antibiotics. Everyone entering the room wore protective gear and masks. While my wife and I stayed to take care of our son, we also wore masks for most of the day.
The preliminary results showed that my son’s fever was caused by a virus, which usually causes a spike in the body temperature for the first few days. Therefore, every four hours, my son had to take medications to reduce his fever. The infected often experience a high fever of over 38.5 degrees, and in some cases, the fever could reach 39 or 40 degrees Celsius. An accurate test result for the novel coronavirus would be available after approximately two days. At that time, all my wife and I could do was try to stay positive. We joked that the whole family went on an “unwilling vacation.”
On the 4th of February, my son was declared nCoV-negative. We were relieved upon receiving the news! As my wife and I also showed no symptoms of infection over 14 days, my family was discharged from the hospital as well as given instructions to use medications at home. Before leaving the hospital, the doctors reminded us to maintain our health. Furthermore, we should always wash our hands with soap or hand sanitizer, use masks whenever we go outside, refrain from going to crowded places, use nasal drops, and regularly rinse our mouth with saltwater.
After experiencing such anxiety and worry when my loved ones had to spend time in the quarantine zone, I wish nothing more than the epidemic to pass. First of all, I hope that Vietnamese nationals trapped in areas affected by the epidemic will return home safely and be healthy. Additionally, I hope that Chinese people stay resilient and strong in the fight against the epidemic, so this nightmare will soon pass, thus enabling us to return to our daily works.
Nguyen Manh Linh-CN
