I’ll add to this thread a snippet of my experience, in case its helpful to anyone else.
Having read the above, I went to the website of the local clinics linked to in the blog article and downloaded and translated the addresses of the clinics in order to get my COVID test validated. They translated really well, and fortunately, I was able to find a clinic 100m away from where I live. Double fortunately, they all spoke perfect English (which is surprising given where I live). The process of getting the test validated took about 30 minutes (they asked the brand of the rapid test, presumably, to ensure it wasn’t a dodgy one), took photos of me with the test result and my health care care and processed everything for me. When I first said I was coming in to confirm a positive test, they all looked at me like I was the bogeyman, but for the remainder of the time I was there they interacted with me quite normally. I think I went into the clinic in between sessions in the middle of the day, so there weren’t actually people there waiting for doctors/appointments.
They actually didn’t ask for payment.
They offered meds, which I refused. They said they could give me a certificate of diagnosis if I wanted it for insurance, and I said I would take one (in case I need it for travel or proving I had COVID). You get a certification the next day by text message/downloadable link, but I got one anyway. That cost 200NTD.
So, I was able to avoid all of the hassle of downloading that app, navigating everything in Chinese, having to enter lots of details myself and all of the run-around Andrew describes.
The blog article, and @Andrew 's posts point to some useful things, like being prepared food wise, taking out the trash of if you suspect you might be diagnosed positive, having certain things on hand like toilet paper for potential diarrhea, maybe cough medicines (I bought those soother type things for the sore throat, and am glad I did), painkillers, and so on. I wish I’d purchased electrolytes for the diarrhea as I was passing a lot of water.
I also wish I’d thought about vitamins and supplements I would want to take and made sure I had those on hand. I have some, but overlooked not having any zinc on hand, and there others I’ve found in my research that I would have liked to have had available.
I had someone call me this morning (day 3), and they asked if I could speak Chinese, in Chinese, when I said no, they confirmed in English by asking the same question. When I said no, they said goodbye. So I’m not sure what they were calling about.
The quarantine period is essentially 8 days, which I can deal with. Definitely, having a rough plan and considering the basics discussed in this thread and the blog post is well worthwhile, so you’re not inconvenienced during the quarantine period.