It’s 2am and Sabrina is trying to locate the medicine. Amanda has a fever. First reading was 40c, then 38.8c. I don’t know celsius ranges very well. Sabrina tells me Amanda is burning up. I roll over and then sit up. Sabrina finds the baby tylenol but it has expired. Then something in Chinese packaging - I think it’s baby motrin. Eventually, we all fall back to sleep.
Amanda wakes up Thursday morning and the fever returns. We think maybe we should go see the doctor, or maybe not since the fever drops again after medicine. We wonder if the swimming lesson Amanda did in the cold gym swimming pool could be the cause. I wonder if the sickness I felt on Monday and Tuesday could be it. Whatever it is, I expect it to pass. So far, Amanda has hardly been sick in her 26 months. On Friday, we plan to travel to Tianjin where Amanda will participate in a baby/kid show.
Friday morning comes and the fever is still there. We make an appointment at a local clinic for 9:20am. Prick the blood out a finger for the blood test. Blood test is normal, so no bacterial infection. They then swab to check for viruses. They test for 12 different strains. 2000 rmb. We cancel the Tianjin trip.
The next morning the results are in. Amanda has Covid. Hmm, I think. I thought kids don’t really get covid or get symptoms from covid. Pandemic social media hangover. What is true, what is not true. Did the covid vaccine save millions of lives or cause irreparable harm? Depends on what podcast you listen to. But it doesn’t. There exists truth. I wonder if being away from the states and getting all my news online is the problem. I wonder if I spend too much time on social media. Regardless, Amanda has a fever and is fatigued. Otherwise, her mood is ok.
It is Sunday afternoon as I type this. Kobe is making a slight whining noise like he does when he wants to go outside. Amanda climbs down from the coach and grabs my hand. She leads me over to where Kobe is sitting and points at him. Take him out. She’s recovered. Meanwhile, Sabrina tested positive.