vaccine while working on the frontlines of the pandemic. I was hopeful that the vaccination would be the beginning of the end. I could overcome the tiny thrill of terror that gripped my heart whenever I crossed the threshold of a patient's room. I could devote moreto taking care of my patients and their family members. Eventually, I thought, everything would return to normal.
Of course, that never happened. My hope slowly ebbed away as the pandemic became more polarized, and the surge of vitriol and viral variants seemed to ensure that there would be no end in sight. I watched in disgust as a politician compared mask mandates to the Holocaust. I shook my head as anonymous Internet commentators ridiculed unvaccinated individuals who had died from the disease.
I have since changed hospitals and finally entered into the specialty that I've aspired to since medical school, but I can't escape the specter of the pandemic. Last month, the hospital's intensive care unit asked our team to evaluate a patient who was younger than I was. His body had endured the full brunt of the virus, which, without the tempering effects of the vaccine, had ravaged his lungs.
As I examined the patient's body, bloated from intravenous fluids, I listened to the playlist of his favorite songs in the background. At that moment, I realized that he would probably never enjoy the sound of music again or take another breath of his own volition.They replied,"We know, but he's so young, and he has children. If there's even the slightest chance that this could help, we want to do everything possible.
While milder than Delta, Omicron recently ripped through the public and the healthcare workforce. The Centers for Disease Health and Preventionby decreasing the recommended time for isolation from ten to five days, ostensibly to address inevitable staffing shortages. Still, this puts the wellness of healthcare workers—and by extension, our patients—at risk, as staff members who are asymptomatic but still shedding the virus may be transmitting the disease to their co-workers and patients.
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