Never did they expect to make the journey back separately - and by air ambulance.
The couple contracted Covid-19, with Mr Rashid, 64, becoming severely ill. Both were evacuated to Singapore on Dec 7 and Dec 8 for urgent medical treatment.
While Madam Safiah, 56, has recovered, Mr Rashid is still in intensive care at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that while the couple were treated in Singapore, they are not counted in the official Covid-19 numbers as they had tested positive overseas. This is in line with World Health Organisation guidelines that countries should count only cases in their jurisdictions so as to avoid double counting, said MOH.
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Mr Abdul Rashid Sahari and his wife Safiah Rawi Abed had planned to fly home to Singapore this month from Jakarta, where Mr Rashid works, to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary with their daughters and grandchildren.
Never did they expect to make the journey back separately - and by air ambulance.
The couple contracted Covid-19, with Mr Rashid, 64, becoming severely ill. Both were evacuated to Singapore on Dec 7 and Dec 8 for urgent medical treatment.
While Madam Safiah, 56, has recovered, Mr Rashid is still in intensive care at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
The couple s son-in-law, Mr Haikel Fahim, 34, told The Straits Times: Despite him feeling really sick, he was not admitted to hospital when he went to the clinic in Jakarta on Dec 1.
The Straits Times
PublishedDec 20, 2020, 8:34 am SGT
https://str.sg/JRk9
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Coronavirus cases at Mandarin Orchard: Experts look at possible factors behind infections
Never did they expect to have to make the journey back separately - and by air ambulance.
The couple contracted Covid-19, with Mr Rashid, 64, becoming severely ill. Both were evacuated to Singapore on Dec 7 and Dec 8 for urgent medical treatment.
While Madam Safiah, 56, has recovered, Mr Rashid is still in intensive care at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Health said that while the two were treated in Singapore, they are not counted in the official Covid-19 numbers as they tested positive overseas. This is in line with World Health Organisation guidelines that countries should only count cases in their jurisdictions so as to avoid double counting, said MOH.
Berita Mediacorp that his family in Singapore had trouble contacting the hospital.
On the first day his father-in-law was admitted to the hospital, Haikel and his family did not receive any news or updates from the hospital.
They could only contact the hospital 20 hours later.
However, seeing Rashid s health condition worsen through video calls triggered a lot of fear and sadness in his daughters.
Haikel said, according to
Berita Mediacorp: At that time, he was coughing and experiencing shortness of breath. But he wanted me to check on Mama s condition instead. Three hours later, we got a call from the doctor who said that his condition was quite bad.