by Clare Donahue, DO, second-year resident, South Campus track
In the beginning, it was slow. There were a couple of COVID-19 patients in the hospital, and we were testing dozens of patients every day, but most of them were negative. Over the next several weeks our clinic patients were transitioned to telehealth visits or redirected to well-clinics across town, and we all breathed a sigh of relief when the "stay home, stay healthy, stay connected" policy was enacted. During this time, I spent two weeks working in the hospital as part of the first family medicine COVID-19 team. I grieved with families as lives were cut short, but overall remained cautiously optimistic. Our case numbers were still low.
After working in the hospital, I transitioned to telehealth. The emergency rooms were busy, but our hospital had beds, and people seemed to be taking the virus seriously. As our communities emerged from lock-down, new local mask mandates in place, in-person clinics began to cautiously re-establish themselves.
And then came the surge, and the next surge, and the next surge.
I’ve returned to the hospital multiple times to manage COVID-19 patients on the floor and in the ICU. Those we treat have been younger and sicker, and almost everyone has a family member who was also hospitalized or died from the virus. I've seen our ICUs at maximum capacity and spent sleepless nights worried about patients, alone in their rooms, teetering on the edge of life. For better or worse, I find myself unfazed by patients on higher and higher levels of oxygen - it almost seems normal.
The vaccine has been a triumph and a turning point. Our case numbers have plummeted. I've been able to see my family without feeling like I'm exposing them to a death sentence, and even started working through some of the tremendous feelings of grief, loss, isolation, and expectation that have accumulated over the past year.
However, I still worry about our local and global marginalized communities, and the quickly spreading misinformation about vaccine safety and efficacy. With the rapidly evolving variants identified in the U.K., Brazil, South Africa, India and beyond, I know, deep in my bones that the war against COVID-19 is far from over. And yet, everyday my fellow residents, attendings, nurses, technicians, staff, and even the coffee kiosk lady, put themselves at risk and show up to work. I rely heavily on the support of my colleagues and take comfort in knowing that we are all committed to providing the best care possible.
The virus is prolific, but so is our desire to keep fighting.