Little fighter
Parents with baby make the most of their time in quarantine
Three-month-old Mir Ali Zafar is not letting Covid-19 get him down as he smiles for his parents Sharifah Farah Ayuni Syed Rosli and Mohd Azlee Che Mohd Zaid, who all tested positive for the coronavirus. The couple are looking on the bright side despite being in isolation at Hospital Kota Baru as a chance to spend quality time together.
PETALING JAYA: A three-month-old baby and his parents are trying to make the best of their time in isolation together at Hospital Kota Baru after being tested positive for Covid-19.
Housewife Sharifah Farah Ayuni Syed Rosli, 29, and businessman Mohd Azlee Che Mohd Zaid, 32, said they were in quarantine for a week with their son Mir Ali Zafar.
Azlee’s sister and mother also tested positive and are quarantined in a separate room.
They have two other children, aged five and three, who tested negative and now stay with their grandmother, Sharifah Farah’s mother.
“My sister-in-law was the first one tested positive. Then the medical team came to check on my eldest two children who were then staying with their aunt. They were negative,” Sharifah Farah said.
“However, I insisted that we be tested too as my husband and I have been down with fever, cough and diarrhoea for several days. We did not see any symptoms in our baby except for his crankiness.
“We tested positive and have been admitted to Hospital Kota Baru. They placed us in one room which we are so thankful for.
“It is mentally exhausting for me to be away from my other children and I needed the support of my husband as I’m still breastfeeding,” she said from her ward during a telephone interview yesterday.
But she said she and her husband were separated by a glass panelling.
If he wanted to see the baby, he must sanitise himself before entering her room.
“The staff have been remarkable, helping us with everything and keeping us comfortable. Even when I suffered from not having enough milk for the baby, the nurses were very helpful with their advice,” Sharifah Farah said.
Azlee said both of them had pains in their joints for the first few days during their admission, but they gradually felt better.
“We have to make the best of it. I spend most of the time playing with Mir Ali,” he said.
The couple shared a videoclip of Mir Ali looking happy, although he has an IV drip attached to his tiny hand.
His father played peekaboo from behind the glass panelling.
“We will take our tests again on our 13th day here and if two consecutive tests are negative, we will be discharged. Do pray for us,” said Sharifah Farah, who also hoped her in-laws could be discharged also.
Kelantan state health director Dr Zaini Hussin said if the whole family was tested positive, the hospital was agreeable to put all them together.
“There is no issue for us to keep all patients who are related to each other in one room if they want to, since all were already tested positive for Covid-19.
“This method can also help them cope mentally while being quarantined in a restricted space for such a long time,” he said.
The staff have been remarkable, helping us with everything and keeping us comfortable. Even when I suffered from not having enough milk for the baby, the nurses were very helpful with their advice.
Sharifah Farah Ayuni Syed Rosli
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thestartv.com