Hospital

The holiday followed by a weekend. People like to get together. People don't like to think about pandemics and precautions all the time. Sometimes those same people work in health care during a pandemic. One of those people comes to work then goes home not feeling well. That person tests positive and notifies the boss. A round of testing is ordered. Three are positive, but none of them are patients (thankfully). 

By the end of the next day, the total is five. 

The unit closes to new admissions. What this means is that now five health care workers are unable to take care of an increasing number of sick people for at least two weeks (if they themselves don't get very sick). And this particular hospital unit, to avoid an uncontrolled outbreak among existing patients, has to say no to the growing number of patients stuck in Emergency Departments who are becoming increasingly desperate for care. 

We're talking here about what occurs over the course of just two days on one hospital unit. If we fail to contain it, do you see what happens? Play it out. Think bigger. 

The number of sick people goes up - fast. At the same time, the number of people and places able to cope with and care for those people goes down. It's not long before things get really shitty. Local, state, then national. Soon, there's no cavalry left to call. They're all in the fight. 

At work, they issued better masks and put in place rules for gearing up when in contact with patients. The staff more than rise to the challenge. They've been anticipating this. They have a plan and they roll it out. They have the gear they need. No one's complaining. There's some joking and laughter. They ask each other if they're ok. 

Time for me to get tested. The ED nurse manager is there supervising the gowned and shielded nurse doing the testing, so the test I get is LEGIT. She goes way up into both nostrils, just about to the edge of my brain, and swirls with real vigor. My eyes close tight and tear a bit. 

"Now that's technique!" I tell the nurse. There's no telling if she's smiling behind her mask and face shield. She just tells me who to send in next.