M'sia man, 27, dies of Covid-19 after re-infection & delaying treatment

His wife said she regrets not forcing him to get tested sooner.

Kayla Wong | June 14, 2021, 06:17 PM

A 27-year-old man in Malaysia had passed away from Covid-19 after being diagnosed with the illness for a second time.

Tested positive for Covid-19 a second time

According to Chinese-language afternoon newspaper Shin Min Daily News (SMDN), which cited a post from Facebook user Lee Khai Ming, the man had tested positive for Covid-19 four months before he came down with the disease again.

Lee, a member of the Malaysian opposition party Democratic Action Party who heads a sterilisation team in the township of Balakong in Selangor, revealed that the man visited a doctor two days after he first experienced Covid-19 symptoms.

The timeline of events, according to Lee:

The man was prescribed paracetamol, a common painkiller, but his symptoms did not improve.

Four days later, he visited the doctor again and was advised to undergo a Covid-19 swab test. He subsequently tested positive.

On the eighth day since he first experienced the symptoms, the man suddenly had difficulty breathing, and collapsed at home.

He was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, but was pronounced dead on the day itself.

His sister, who lived with the couple in the same residence, had also tested positive for Covid-19, and was sent to the intensive care unit five hours before he was sent to the hospital.

Meanwhile, his wife had tested negative for the virus.

Did not expect to be reinfected

The man's wife had told Lee that they had not expected him to be diagnosed with Covid-19 again. Her husband had even consoled her at the time by saying he wasn't scared of the virus as his body already had antibodies to fight against it.

She also expressed her regret that she had not forced him to go for a test as soon as he experienced the onset of symptoms.

Lee ended his post by cautioning others to be vigilant, saying that although it's uncommon, it's still possible for one to be infected with Covid-19 again.

Top image via Lee Khai Ming/Facebook