Lockdown
Dear Self,
It has been two weeks since our city has been placed under quarantine. It's not really something that was difficult to adjust to - I had always been somewhat of an introvert. What is more difficult, actually, is going out to work in the hospital, where the risk of contracting the virus, COVID-19, is high.
More than this, though, today wasn't one of the better days. In fact, it probably ranks among the worst, so far. A young doctor of about 34 years old just lost the battle against the virus. He got it from some patient who wasn't completely honest about her travel history. As such, the team of doctors handling her case weren't in full gear and were, consequently, infected.
He had it bad. They said he had a mild fever for a few days. It resolved soon enough, but his cough persisted. At first, it was tolerable. Over time, it started getting worse - until one day, on one of his duties, it was just too much and he had to be admitted. We later found out that he was intubated in the early morning.
We heard reports of him getting better; that gave us much needed hope. And then, all of a sudden, news spread like wildfire - he was gone. He lost the battle. He became another statistic, another number in the growing list of numbers.
This hit the medical community really hard. Not only because he was a fellow doctor and frontliner, but mainly because he was young. They said that this virus was only dangerous to the elderly - why did this young man succumb to it? Sure, he had diabetes, but was that enough of a risk factor?
I guess what this horrific tale tells us is that NONE OF US are safe. Young or old, healthy or not, we can all, for unknown reasons, fall victim to this deadly virus. So many healthcare workers, many of which are doctors, are already intubated and fighting for their lives. It makes us realize our mortality. It has become so palpable - I CAN ACTUALLY DIE TOMORROW. It's a tough pill to swallow.
The virus is hitting closer and closer to home. A close friend's dad; a trainee's dad; a co-worker's mom. These are people I actually know. It's becoming more real by the day and I feel helpless against it.
Today isn't one of the good days. It just isn't.
Sincerely,
Lagundi
It has been two weeks since our city has been placed under quarantine. It's not really something that was difficult to adjust to - I had always been somewhat of an introvert. What is more difficult, actually, is going out to work in the hospital, where the risk of contracting the virus, COVID-19, is high.
More than this, though, today wasn't one of the better days. In fact, it probably ranks among the worst, so far. A young doctor of about 34 years old just lost the battle against the virus. He got it from some patient who wasn't completely honest about her travel history. As such, the team of doctors handling her case weren't in full gear and were, consequently, infected.
He had it bad. They said he had a mild fever for a few days. It resolved soon enough, but his cough persisted. At first, it was tolerable. Over time, it started getting worse - until one day, on one of his duties, it was just too much and he had to be admitted. We later found out that he was intubated in the early morning.
We heard reports of him getting better; that gave us much needed hope. And then, all of a sudden, news spread like wildfire - he was gone. He lost the battle. He became another statistic, another number in the growing list of numbers.
This hit the medical community really hard. Not only because he was a fellow doctor and frontliner, but mainly because he was young. They said that this virus was only dangerous to the elderly - why did this young man succumb to it? Sure, he had diabetes, but was that enough of a risk factor?
I guess what this horrific tale tells us is that NONE OF US are safe. Young or old, healthy or not, we can all, for unknown reasons, fall victim to this deadly virus. So many healthcare workers, many of which are doctors, are already intubated and fighting for their lives. It makes us realize our mortality. It has become so palpable - I CAN ACTUALLY DIE TOMORROW. It's a tough pill to swallow.
The virus is hitting closer and closer to home. A close friend's dad; a trainee's dad; a co-worker's mom. These are people I actually know. It's becoming more real by the day and I feel helpless against it.
Today isn't one of the good days. It just isn't.
Sincerely,
Lagundi
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