US – Feels like we are working in Chernobyl – Doctors write their wills amidst Covid19 fears
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Doctors the world over take an oath to fight against illness and help to make their patients get better; they fight death every day, hands on. But never has this battle been so real as in the face of CoVid-19, the dealy virus which has taken over the world.
Dr Michelle Au an anesthesiologist at Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, USA, talks about how her work, like that of many other health workers in hospitals worldwide, has become even more dangerous. “We feel radioactive… it feels like we are working Chernobyl.”
As part of her job, Dr Au is responsible for intubating those who can’t breathe, a very dangerous procedure as this brings her in close contact with the patient’s mouth, which is constantly shedding the virus. If patients cough or sneeze during the process, they aerosolize the virus, allowing it in turn to hang in the air for several hours.
The doctor is extremely worried, not only for her own health and that of her colleagues, but also for her own husband and three children, who risk contracting the virus from her after her shift at the hospital. Therefore Dr Au has established a rigorous cleaning procedure after every shift – washing rigorously before leaving her workplace and as soon as arriving home, wiping down surfaces with a diluted bleach solution. She has also taken to sleeping in the basement, away from her family.
This has become the norm for many doctors the world over. Some healthworkers have chosen to send their families away or live alone in Airbnb accommodation. Hospitals are ramping up their efforts to provide alternative accommodation on site, so that their employees can avoid long commutes and the risk of infecting their relatives.
Families are being torn apart, with health workers choosing to self isolate and commute directly to work for fear of infecting their loved ones, even if this means not seeing them for days on end. Doctors are taught how to deal with life threatening situations effectively and rationally – they know what procedures to follow and how to behave in times of crises. However they are now faced with uncertainty, as they worry about how to protect themselves and their families.
The global devastation which has been unleashed by the coronavirus is doubly accentuated by the fear and havoc it is creating within the medical community. Those who work to take care of the ill are succumbing to this virus themselves, with early research indicating that they are more susceptible to infection, with more severe symptoms. To add insult to injury, personal protective equipment is becoming more and more scarce.
In light of all this, they have begun preparing their wills, and thinking about how best to provide for their loved one should they too become victims of the virus. As frontline workers, they are used to seeing illness and death as part of their job, so they are possibly the best equipped at preparing themselves, and others, to face such situations.
In the meantime, faced with uncertainty and shortage of vital equipment, they continue working to fight the virus, giving it their all to curb, and hopefully eradicate this deadly pandemic.
