True it is that I have no role
In treatment course so wisely devised
Indeed, I do not even possess a soul
Still, I pray thee make perception revised

I am neither cold, nor hard of heart
Though thus it may seem to untrained eye
Full of hope, am I, from the very start
That end of despair will always be nigh

If given the chance to bring forth speech
Reams of scroll could I pen with ink
Would that I be given ability to beseech
And let go that which causes me to sink

I would cry out that I, too, felt searing pain
Weep, did I, when needle made its sting
I did not even make a face of disdain
When dangerous rhythm made alarm…

MASKS AND PUBLIC HEALTH

It still baffles me that so many people — more than one year into this global health catastrophe — are still resistant to wearing masks. Even during the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, it was reported that many lawmakers did not wear masks while under lockdown. Baffling.

I am flabbergasted because there are so many benefits to masking. To demonstrate this, I’ve listed these ten underappreciated benefits of wearing masks:

1. If we are late to work and didn’t have time to brush our teeth, no problem! …

COVID LONG HAULERS

“I’ll take my chance with the virus.”

I have heard that phrase more than I care to admit. There is still so much hesitancy on the part of so many people in getting vaccinated for Covid-19. True, it is not widely available to the general public, but even among healthcare professionals, there is a significant amount of vaccine hesitancy.

This is concerning. If we are ever to achieve coveted herd immunity, then a substantial proportion of our population needs to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Waiting for 70–80% of the population to get Covid and recover is a prescription for mass slaughter. That is not the answer. …

POST PANDEMIC REALITY

There has been a lot of tragedy associated with the pandemic. So many have been sickened. So many have died. So much has changed, and it is hard to see a future that will even remotely resemble “going back to normal.”

That said, there is a small silver lining to the incredibly large dark cloud. The pandemic has rid us of some things that I hope we will never see again.

Water Fountains

It’s hot. You’re thirsty. And there is no convenience store nearby to buy a bottle of water. Or, you are at an amusement park, and the bottles of water are $6.00, …

On Sunday December 28, I worked my last ICU shift of 2020. I’m so looking forward to having some down time to rest and recharge. This year has been a challenge, to put it mildly.

At the start of 2020, it was like any other year. Then came the reports of this new virus emerging from China that had health experts concerned. I thought the two large oceans would protect our country, just like it did with SARS CoV-1 and MERS.

How naïve I turned out to be.

At the beginning of the pandemic, as we started seeing cases in our ICU, I was nervous and scared. And yet, at the same time, there was something exhilarating, something thrilling, about being part of something greater: the Great Pandemic of 2020, getting to fight on the front line against this new and mysterious illness. …

PUBLIC OPINION AND COVID VACCINES

In a recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, 46% of Americans say they will take the vaccine as soon as they can. Compared to a USA TODAY poll in late October, that is close to double. Also in the new poll, 32% say they will wait for others to get the shots before they do so themselves.

This is great news, and it is indicative of the success of public campaigns by physicians, nurses, other healthcare leaders as well as public officials — including the esteemed Dr. Anthony Fauci — to boost confidence in the vaccines.

I myself did the same thing (see below), and thank God, so far the vaccine has been very well tolerated by me and my colleagues. …