Antek suffered from COVID-19. He regrets that the system has failed. What went wrong?

More than 2 people have contracted the SARS-CoV-57 coronavirus in Poland. Among them is Antek, who described in detail his “journey” with the system. Even though we have been in a pandemic for several months, many procedures still do not work or are delayed.

1. The suspicion that Antek may have contracted the coronavirus appeared after it turned out that among his friends there was a person who tested positive for COVID-19
2. Antek tried unsuccessfully to obtain information on how to proceed in the event of suspected infection. He performed the COVID-19 test commercially. When the result was positive, he thought that the sanitary department would deal with the matter
3. Unfortunately, despite the fact that a week has passed, no one has contacted him. What went wrong?

The system is there, but it works poorly

In a long post on a social networking site, Antek describes how he found out that he was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. First, the disease affected his roommates. Then the symptoms of infection appeared in Antek. «Three days of terrible well-being, I lay everything in bed, they are watching the series ‘Dark’. (…) The main symptom was that I felt weak, I felt it especially in my limbs, after any physical exertion, for example after cooking a dinner »- reports Antek.

Initially, he treated himself symptomatically with cold and flu medications. He also made an appointment for teleportation because he needed a sick leave. He described his symptoms on the phone. As he admits, the doctor with whom he spoke asked about contacts with a person infected with the coronavirus, but Antek did not have such contacts (at least in theory).

“He had a cold, told me to continue symptomatic treatment, rest a lot, drink a lot of water, stay in the house and give me a 3-day time off. After the dismissal ended, I returned to (remote) work, although I was still visibly weakened for the next few days ».

A serious suspicion that Antek may have contracted the coronavirus appeared when one of his roommates found out that a friend he had recently had contact with had tested positive for COVID-19.

«We finally called a nationwide coronavirus hotline. We described the situation. At this point, I expected the relevant services to take the initiative. It turned out that the only thing they are able to offer us is to provide the number to the local health and safety department. It was the first job ».

Giving the number to the local sanitary department by the consultant was not reprehensible. Worse, the mere contact with the Sanepid did not result in taking appropriate actions.

See also: What to do if you suspect coronavirus infection after returning from vacation?

Inconsistency in the information provided

At first, Antek was unable to reach the Sanitary Inspectorate, but when he failed, he made an appointment for a teleportation again.

«I presented symptoms, mine and my roommates, and contacts with the person who tested positive. The doctor said: ‘You have symptoms of a cold, we do not deal with COVID, please contact the Sanepid. Please drink plenty of water and ventilate the rooms. ‘ No instructions on how to isolate ourselves, or impose quarantine on ourselves, or a colleague who has no symptoms at that moment may go to the store. Profession number three ».

It is true that GPs do not deal with COVID, but based on their history, they can estimate the risk of infection. She talked about it, among others Jolanta Równiak from the Epidemiology Department of the WSSE in Olsztyn:

– In the case of suspected SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, we should make an appointment for a teleportation. There is no point in calling the Department of Health at this stage, because officials work there, not doctors. It is the general practitioner who collects the patient’s history and, on the basis of the answers provided, he or she can decide whether the suspicion of infection is justified.

In the case of Antek, the doctor, based on the interview, did not decide to provide instructions on what to do if there is a suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection.

Antek also did not obtain meaningful information from the person he contacted in the sanitary department. He had the impression that unless he was a “contact person”, there was no chance that he would be tested for COVID-19. This has nothing to do with the recommendations that can be found on the website patient.gov.pl – we read there that in the event of suspicion of coronavirus infection and manifestation of symptoms, contact a sanitary and epidemiological station or a hospital with an infectious disease ward. Unfortunately, Antek did not obtain such information during a conversation with a sanitary officer.

See also: How does the Department of Healthcare look for people in contact with a person infected with COVID-19? “Usually it is from 10 to even 100 people”

Drive-thru tests for non-motorized?

Antek decided to do the test privately. His employer came to the rescue. The problem turned out to be the fact that Antek does not have his own car, and the laboratory where he was to have his test performed takes swabs in the drive-thru system.

«Fortunately, it turned out that people coming on foot were also served. But how am I supposed to get to the examination, by bicycle across the city, while still ill, ask my friend for a ride, exposing him to the risk of infection? Finally, it stood on the ‘Uber with a visor’ and mask all the way. There, I saw a queue for several dozen cars and a tent at the end. I went to the tent, the lady in full anti-infectious attire showed me to keep my distance. When asked where should I stand in the line on foot, she replied: ‘Well, at the end of the line.’ Waiting two hours in a traffic jam on foot was quite fun»- reports Antek.

After taking the smear, the man returned home. He learned the test result the next day. As you can guess, he was positive. Initially, Antek decided to wait for contact with the Department of Health and Safety, but when no one called, he tried to find out himself at what stage his case was. Finally, a person with a positive test result should be “interviewed” by an employee of the Department of Health and Safety in connection with possible further infections. Unfortunately, contact with the Sanitary Inspectorate was also difficult this time. Antek found out that someone would contact him within a few days, determine the length of the insulation and start working out the fire.

Theoretically, immediately after receiving a positive result, the Sanepid should contact the infected person and initiate proceedings. In practice, however, Antek obtained a positive result on Tuesday, and no one contacted him until Sunday. He does not know if he is technically already in quarantine, nor does he know how to deal with people who have had contact with him. Sam called his friends and said what the situation was.

You can find the full story here: Antoni has a coronavirus. “I wanted to be responsible, I lost faith in the existence of the system”

At the moment, Antek still does not know whether he has been quarantined or how long it will last.

Have you had COVID-19 and want to share your story? Write to us on [email protected]

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