On December 9, my daughter and I suffered from sore throats, mild fever, cough and other symptoms. In view of the current prevalence of COVID-19, we chose to stay home in Beijing.

The next day, we both had high fevers. Taking antipyretic drugs and drinking a lot of warm water alleviated the symptoms to some extent, but it was worse than a common cold.

On the third day, we tested positive for COVID-19.

Over the next couple of days, as our symptoms started to subside, my son and wife successively became infected.

Many people on social media platforms joke that the virus always leaves one healthy person at home to cook and take care of the sick. At first, my wife was the "lucky" one in our family. On the fifth day, when she began to show symptoms, I had almost no symptoms and took over as caretaker.

Several of our friends have had the same experience, but most people I know choose to stay at home and self-medicate. As symptoms abate, people can work online and children can take online classes.

The government is trying to improve the capacity of medical institutions to cope with the pressure caused by the increase of infections, especially focusing on ensuring that seniors, children and critically ill patients receive timely treatment. 

(Text and photos by staff photographer Wei Yao)

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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