Unfortunately, many have been unable to fight off the virus and have succumbed to the illness, but a survival rate in Malaysia of over 99% means that many more have come out on the other side as survivors.

However, those who have recovered are still left with many unanswered questions about the condition they are in and the road to full recovery. FMT spoke to a few persons who have recovered and asked them about their concerns, and put their questions to the Malaysian Medical Association(MMA).

When do I stop being infectious?

Many expressed concerns about whether they were still infectious even after enduring the 10-day isolation period at a quarantine centre or at home, and raised questions about whether they posed a danger to others.

MMA president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said, however, this was unlikely to be the case, particularly if they have been assessed by a Covid-19 assessment centre.

He said that if symptoms dissipate before the 10 days, people should not become complacent as they could risk infecting others.

“Symptoms going away doesn’t mean much. Some people have no symptoms from day one. There is no correlation between that and antibody development, so it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear,” he said.

Addressing questions about whether sufferers could contract different strains of the virus at a quarantine centre, amid stories of a lack of SOP compliance at some facilities, he said the likelihood was very low.

He said he “cannot recall any cases of contracting a new strain while having Covid-19”.

He also said that recovered patients should also not be overly concerned about returning home or to their office once they are cleared, as they do not pose an additional transmission risk once they have been cleared.

Can I ‘relapse’?

A number of recent patients said they were worried about remnants of the virus staying in their bodies, and said they were worried the virus could rear its head once more some time down the road.

Subramaniam said that if patients begin to develop symptoms after being cleared, they should visit their nearest GP rather than assuming the virus has come back.

He said the doctors would be best positioned to diagnose the real reasons behind these new symptoms, and medicate accordingly, if need be.

While the “remnants” of the virus can remain in the body, he said these are very likely harmless.

“Viral RNA fragments, although unable to cause infection, may cause a PCR test to be positive.

“But SARS-CoV2 does not stay in the body. It’s not HIV or hepatitis B.”

What does the future hold?

Subramaniam said that those who have beaten Covid-19 should get vaccinated when they get the chance, and not rely on natural antibodies.

“A dose of the vaccine is recommended around three months after recovery. The immunity from a vaccine seems to be more robust than that gained from fighting off the virus.”

He said that “vaccination after infection has not caused adverse reactions”, so there are no unwanted biological interactions to worry about.

In the long term, he said, there have been cases where Covid-19 seems to have links to the early development of diabetes mellitus, but these are rare.

He said that while there are no guidelines on how people may behave differently after beating the virus, there may be some longer term symptoms.

Some have reported lasting breathing difficulties or fatigue post-recovery, but these cases do not appear to be the norm.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR LIVE UPDATE OF THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA