Coronavirus: Singapore: Hooked up in ICU

'I didn't know I was breathing hard'

Four days after testing positive for Covid-19, Mr Ng was in the National Centre for Infectious Diseases' intensive care unit (ICU), hooked up to a tube of high-flow oxygen to help him breathe.

The 60-year-old's blood oxygen level - which in a healthy person should be at least 95 per cent - had fallen to below 90 per cent.

But the medical issues the virus created had crept up so stealthily that Mr Ng missed the signs that he was in serious trouble.

It was his mother and sister, speaking to him over the phone the day after he tested positive, who first noticed the difference. They had temporarily moved out of their shared flat after he tested positive.

"They said I was breathing heavily, which I myself did not know," said Mr Ng, a stallholder at Chinatown Complex, which was closed for three days early last month after a virus cluster was found there. "I sort of sensed it, but not to the extent that I found difficulty in breathing."

He had tested positive after a routine swab test on Sept 10, and called an ambulance the next day. After two days in the hospital's general ward, he was transferred to intensive care.

Mr Ng, who wanted to be known only by his surname, said he was conscious at the time, and still did not have difficulty breathing - just some "discomfort".

But the decision to move him made his family members very anxious, he recounted.

"When they heard the word 'ICU', they thought it must be very serious," he said.

"They saw me wearing the (breathing apparatus) mask and were very worried."

He was not able to give them regular updates due to his worsened condition.

"I didn't talk to them much. I was very tired and sleeping most of the time," said Mr Ng, who otherwise texted or spoke to his family on the phone.

Mr Ng spent three days in the ICU - a relatively short time, given that some patients require intensive care for more than two weeks. Doctors believe he was protected from the worst effects of the virus because he was fully vaccinated.

Approximately 1.5 per cent of patients need oxygen supplementation in hospital for two to five days, while another 0.2 per cent end up needing critical care.

An Israeli study has also shown that people over 60 who had received their booster shots were about 20 times less likely to have severe Covid-19, compared with those in the same age group who had received only two jabs at around the same time period.

Apart from supplementary oxygen, Mr Ng was given a cocktail of medication: antiviral drug remdesivir, a steroid called dexamethasone and a blood thinner as some Covid-19 patients are at risk of blood clots.

He was then moved back to an isolation ward before being discharged on Sept 24.

Mr Ng spoke warmly of the healthcare staff who looked after him despite the onerous protocols they had to abide by.

Each time someone entered his room - even if it was just to take his temperature or tidy the place - they would have to don a fresh set of personal protective equipment.

"And when I was in intensive care, once my oxygen levels dropped off, they would quickly come into the room, so I believe they are truly monitoring every patient," he added.

"It's a lot of work."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on October 17, 2021, with the headline 'I didn't know I was breathing hard'. Subscribe