COVID-19 Infection in Japan
Lai Hung Wei Updated in November 2021

Konnichiwa and salam sejahtera! This is Lai and I am sorry for not writing up recently. I was diagnosed with COVID-19 previously and took my time to rest. Today, I would like to share my personal experience and what you need to do when you got infected with COVID-19 in Japan. It is important to note that different city councils have slightly different procedures so please be careful.

A PCR Test Kit
Photo AC: yayuyo

Everything was fine as I went to school daily as usual until I had a mild sore throat, cough, flu, diarrhoea and slight dizziness for two days consecutively. As listed in the university manual, I stopped going to school once these symptoms appeared. On the third day morning, I started to have a high fever that went straight up to 38.5°C. I gathered my strength and called the nearest local hospital for a reservation of COVID-19 PCR test. Most hospitals in Japan do not allow walk-in appointment due to the pandemic, so be sure to make a reservation before you go. I took the test and paid approximately 2000 yen. I then went straight home to rest and was informed that I was diagnosed positive in the late evening. At the same time, all the symptoms I had significantly worsened, and I started to have problems concentrating on speaking on phone.

As I entered the quarantine period, the Yokohama City Council sent me an oximeter, together with 3 meals of food and drinks daily for a week until all my symptoms were gone. The council contacted me through a Line chat* every day to check on my health to ensure I am capable of self-quarantine and will send me to the hospital should the need arise. During the quarantine period, I took anti-fever medicine and constantly used anti-viral mouth wash according to the recommendation of doctor. My symptoms were almost completely gone after 4-5 days and I continued to stay at home for an additional week, before returning to my own life. In total, I had quarantined myself for 14 days.

*The Line chat service is provided by the Kanagawa prefecture Covid-19 recuperation app.

Despite being sick alone in a foreign country, being under the care of the Japanese authorities has certainly warmed my heart and led me out through this dark time. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the authorities for looking after me. Stay safe and take care!

Test Result
Photo AC: Horiryo