10:01 PM - a LINE message notification popped up on my smartphone, which came from Douglas Habecker, Co-publisher of Compass Magazine and it said, “your hospital is testing people for COVID-19, right?”. I texted him back to say that “all major hospitals in Taiwan are equipped to do the nasal swab, but why do you ask?” And this is where my story begins with my first exposure to COVID-19 case in my life…

This LINE message that Doug sent me was on Friday evening, March 6, 2020, where he complained of “chills”; “decreased appetite for 2~3 days” and “slight cough”, but he said he didn’t have a fever. He also mentioned that he hasn’t travelled in the past 14 days (the last time was when he came back from Hawaii, U.S.A. in early January 2020). Doug didn’t fit the typical COVID-19 profile, but I called him anyway and explained the usual COVID-19 symptoms that patients were experiencing at the time. If he can wait until Monday, I’ll be happy to help him at the hospital, but if he can’t wait, he should definitely go to the ER, so Doug thanked me for my advice and hung up the phone.

Saturday, March 7, came and went, when I received another LINE message from Doug at 10:42 PM. The gist of his LINE message was: He had checked himself to the ER, so the doctor ordered blood tests and chest X-ray. The ER doctor felt Doug did not fit the COVID-19 profile either, but since his X-ray came back with a “cloudiness” on one corner of the lung and his blood test results was abnormal, the doctor decided to admit him to the hospital for 2~3 days of observation. I wished him well and texted back & forth with him since, not knowing until the day he will be discharged from the hospital, which was almost three weeks later…

On Monday, March 9, I went about my regular work day at the hospital. Although I texted him to see how he was doing, it wasn’t until 5 pm that I saw Doug in his VIP room. He was resting and I brought him something to eat from the new Burger King that just opened inside our hospital – “Whopper” burger that I know he likes very much. We talked for an hour and as dinner time approached, I told him to enjoy his “Whopper” (Doug later told me that he didn’t really enjoy it, since he had lost his sense of taste and smell by this time).

Since the day Doug was admitted at the hospital on March 7, he was given various medicine to treat his “pneumonia” until March 10, but he wasn’t feeling any better. Upon hearing that Doug had hosted 4 friends from Washington, U.S.A. who had been complaining of flu-like symptoms, the doctor immediately ordered the COVID-19 test. Consequently, the first test result came back a “weak positive”, so a second test was administered, which came back a “positive”. Doug was then transferred to a negative pressure room and the hospital staffs began to wear the full personal protective equipment whenever they saw him. Finally, on "Friday, March 13" (Friday the 13th is considered bad luck in U.S.A.), Doug was officially confirmed to be the 50th COVID-19 case by Taiwan CDC.

Throughout the rest of his hospitalization until he had tested “negative” for 3 consecutive times, I continued to text him on a daily basis to check on him and give moral support. We talked and video called periodically to get updates about his condition; about the current COVID-19 situation; things he would like to do when he is discharged from the hospital; etc. This was what I did with my patients at International Patient Center – we understand that it can be lonely and discouraging to be locked up in a room (with little face-to-face interaction), especially in a foreign country. We realize that this understanding and support is what the foreign patients require in this special time of need!

Moreover, the government officials who contacted Doug had shown great patience and discretion when taking down the list of contacts that he had come across, before he was admitted to the hospital. The janitors, nurses and doctors all showed compassion and engaged in conversations about non-medical topics with Doug. However, Doug claims that most credit still goes to his colleagues and good friends who were very supportive of him - showing genuine concern for his well-being, considering the dire situation that he was in.

Subsequently after 6 days (March 19), Doug got his first “negative” COVID-19 test result. His sense of taste and smell returned, which resulted in his increased appetite. The second "negative" result (March 21) and the third “negative” result (March 23) followed very shortly, but still required government review (he was told that the third test result had to be sent to the Ministry of Health officials in Taipei for approval of release). The hospital finally received the formal documents on March 26, culminating in 19 days hospital stay for Doug, making him the 30th COVID-19 case released from isolation in Taiwan.

Upon being discharged, the first thing Doug did was to take a selfie to let me know that he was breathing fresh air outside! He then went to Burger King to see if really his sense of taste had returned – he wanted to enjoy a good “Whopper” burger to see if it was “amazing” (obviously, it was much better than the time I had brought it to his hospital room!). He then sent me another LINE message when he got home, to say “Thanks, Mark for all your encouragement and concern… it really means a lot to me.” And I knew exactly what he meant from all the patients that I had cared for from before, so instead of calling him, I just replied with a “smiley” LINE sticker😊.