My Last Plea

 

India's COVID Crematoriums

As I finished my hospital rounds this morning my path took me by 4 West where my colleagues and I manned the expanded ICU during the winter months.  The lights were off, the rooms were empty and, thankfully, there were no patients needing our care anymore.  “Are you glad to have just one job?,” I was asked earlier by a nurse in the regular ICU attending to one of my patients.  I responded that yes, I was glad. I was especially glad that there was no more need for us to take care of the sick patients but that I did miss working with all of them, the nurses.  There is now a whole group of people that I pass in the hospital who wave to me as I walk by.  We smile remembering our time working together as a team. 

Today marks the end of another milestone for me and our fight against COVID.  For almost a full year, I have left my regular clinic on Thursday afternoons and staffed our respiratory clinic where patients who have symptoms that could be from COVID are sent to be evaluated.  From a risk perspective, it is likely more dangerous than the ICU since I see more patients, most of whom are recently sick and thus more infective.  We have full personal protective equipment on and are constantly cleaning all the surfaces.  Today was my last day in the respiratory clinic.  It remains open but we have hired a full time nurse practitioner to staff it full time.  She has been training with me for the last month and she is fantastic and is ready to go. 

The first patient we saw today already had a diagnosis of COVID but continued with a lingering cough. The chest x-ray showed a slight pneumonia but he looked like he was coming through his illness just fine.  The rest of the patients were all fully vaccinated. Some had colds, others perhaps a sinus infection or an asthma flare. It was frankly nice to see normal conditions once again.  The last patient of the day was a stark reminder that we are not through this yet.  Mid forties with no medical problems, no previous lung disease, on no medications and with a normal weight.  The picture of health except that after starting with COVID symptoms three days earlier, she had to literally crawl into the office because she was so weak.  The oxygen level was low, nearing the point of needing more.  I knew she could go downhill in a hurry.  911 was called and EMS took her around to the emergency room. 

My plea to you and all those you love is simple: please get vaccinated.  This is real. There is no conspiracy.  There is no hoax. At lunch today, the TV at the doctor’s eating area showed India’s “crematoriums.” They are simply open lots with bonfires blazing. COVID has hit India like a California grass fire, ripping through the country.  Many hospitals have run out of oxygen.  The reality is as grim as any situation that I have seen in my lifetime.  The only thing that separates us from them is our access to the vaccines.  In clinical trials they boasted a 95% success rate.  Unheard of. Amazing! Real life experience never quite lives up to the clinical studies. However, a recent post vaccination study showed that they keep elderly patients out of the hospital 94% of the time. 

Isn’t it so nice to open up a bit? For the first time in a year, we had a family dinner with my in-laws at Easter. They had both been vaccinated two weeks prior. What a blessing it is for families to be together.  Recently, one of my fully vaccinated patients reached out to me because he was still hesitant to travel. His mother was dying and he wasn’t sure that he should go.  I told him to go see her.  “Still be careful, but go, you need to be with family,” I said.  He messaged me today saying that he was able to be there for her funeral and to connect with his family. He was so grateful. 

My wife’s family is planning a family reunion in June.  Church meetings are opening up.  Neighbors can be talked to.  This is all good, but remember the two weeks.  Maximum immunity takes two weeks from the second shot.  For my wife, that is in six days, hooray!

It is so tempting to let our collective guard down.  If you have concerns about the vaccine, send me a message. I am more than happy to answer questions and concerns.  In the last year, our country has made a lot of mistakes.  We could have done so much better, but not in this, not the vaccines.  This we did right.  It is the key to our recovery and our hope for the future.