As you probably have read, I am in isolation. On the outside door to my room, there is a note reading “HIC protocol.” HIC stands for Haematologic Intensive Care.
My visitors do not have to wear special yellow hazmat suits, and I don’t have to reside in a closed plastic tent as if I am infected with Ebola.
My room has a sort of airlock with double doors that everyone has to pass to get in. The air pressure in my room is slightly elevated, which means that potential airborne viruses are prevented from entering the room. Everyone that enters the room, no matter how short, has to disinfect their hands with rubbing alcohol. Also, I should minimize physical contact with visitors to decrease the chance of them transferring any pathogens to me. Maximally three people (including myself) can be in my room at the same time. Meaning that when my parents are visiting, one of them has to leave the room when a nurse comes in. Visitors with active infections, the flu or a cold are urged not to visit.
Apart from these things, there are no further restrictions. It is apparently unlikely that an external pathogen will infect me. The nurses told me that in more than nine out of ten cases, infection occurs due to a virus or bacteria that was already present in my body.
