Item 1:
A good man and brilliant ER doc I work with tweeted this today: “Finally home after 13 hours in the ER. Today >90% of my patients were confirmed or likely #COVID19. Many really sick, some in their 30s like me. The sirens on otherwise empty NYC streets are unending & haunting. I’m tired. But really honored to be back in the ER in the morning.”
Item 2:
My last five shifts in the ER I have worked in triage – literally triaging hundreds of patients, and I can concur with this doc’s assessment. Almost everyone coming in has COVID-19. But the good news is that the overwhelming majority of people with this illness are going to survive. Of course, it’s an ER, so we are going to see the worst cases as well – but I want to dwell on this somewhat more positive thought for a moment.
I know how easy it is to slip into a panic over this. Yes, it’s a real pandemic. Yes, there is a high likelihood that most of the population of North America will end up with it at some point. But it’s not a death sentence. Sometime in the future, enough people will have come down with it that herd immunity will kick in, and it’s likely that by that time some type of vaccine or treatment protocol will be in place.
So take all precautions and try to be one of the ones who make it through without coming down with it. But most of us have been sick at some point in our lives, and we’re still here, aren’t we? BTW, the doc who tweeted that contracted EBOLA and survived it.
So please adhere to your local Department of Health’s recommended precautions, and allow me to recommend one of the best ways to alleviate anxiety.
Reach out and help someone else.