As a physician. I would like to share some personal patient experiences that I hope gives a sobering perspective to all my musician friends here on TB. Stay healthy, Please:
“So, what if, any, exposure to COVID did you have?” It’s a story I ask to every COVID patient I admit or care for. The stories are becoming increasingly alarming. They speak to both our marked uptick in community spread and also the apathy/ lack respect for this disease. Here are a few of the stories of COVID positive patients i have encountered in the last week:
Upstanding citizen in a nice suburban neighborhood: “I knew all 4 people in my house were COVID positive but we didn't feel that bad; so we hosted a 40 person graduation party. We didn't tell any of the guests we were positive.”
Construction worker: “Everyone I work with has a flu-like illness but no one wants to believe it’s COVID so no one else is getting tested or staying home or wearing a mask “
Grocery store clerk: “I kept going to work during the three days my COVID test was pending. I knew it might be positive but I really had to work”.
==> it WAS positive. And In those 3 days at work she interacted with hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of customers
Random girl: “I knew I was COVID positive but I got really bored of staying home so I went out and ran errands”. “Did you at least wear a mask?” “No”. Where did she go? Grocery store. Target. Convenience store. Park.
“I went to a funeral and now 10 people from the funeral are all positive for COVID”
“My daughter works at a local daycare and caught COVID. 4 days after she had symptoms I developed them too.” ...........a few days later, we admitted the daughter, too. For COVID-induced psychosis. A legit and terrifying thing utterly unique to COVID.
“I work as a housekeeper. I try my best to wear gloves and mask the entire time I am in a strangers house. But I go into 5+ houses a day”.
“I live with My niece. She works at a laundromat. She developed symptoms last week”.
“I developed a fever last Wednesday And was coughing. I went to the beach Saturday anyways. We ended up coming home Sunday because I was having shaking chills and fevers to 103F”
“ I knew my coworker who I work closely with had COVID and I was supposed to be isolating. But we hosted a dinner party Saturday night for 2 neighbrhohood families. Today I tested positive. Do you think I should tell the other families?”
“I am a prisoner at a butner and eveyone there has COVID. EVERYONE. There is no way we can socialLY distance. NONE. We are doomed. It’s like we’ve been given a death sentence”.
Someone said on my local moms groups the other day that the COVID info is too dramatic; it always feels like the sky is falling. And people are getting immune to the news.
It’s very hard NOT to feel like the sky is falling when the numbers keep steadily rising and the stories become increasingly more egregious.
I hope these stories illustrate how widespread and endemic this is becoming in our Communtiy and emphasize the need to continue to take precautions to keep yourself and your family safe. At this point There is an extremely high probability that whenever you go out, someone in your grocery store has it. Someone in your neighborhood or workplace has it. Your lovely dinner party host may have it and choose not to disclose to you.
Assume eveyone has it. Wear a mask. wash your hands. Do not become complacent.
