Just read this from a Doctor in the NHS (UK)
Myself and my wife have got to go in to work in hospitals daily, to ensure that not only are our current patients dealt with, but that we are prepared for what is coming. That has meant back to back 70hr weeks for me and frankly, I've not got the mental capacity left to recall what the wife has done. We fall through the door at the end of each day, microwave something to eat and go to bed. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. I have underlying health conditions that put me at high risk. I have signed a waiver so that I can continue to support my teams and do my part to ensure there is a healthcare service for everyone that will need it. My teams, in due course, will be making decisions about who does and doesn't get life saving care. This is not scare mongering, it is fact.
2 weeks ago I sent home 80 staff with underlying health conditions who are at significant risk, to self isolate for 12 weeks. I'm sure most will appreciate the gravity of a decision like that in a healthcare setting. It is not taken lightly. But we may need them fit and well when we burn out.......
I'd add to that, in that I'm sure you're all aware that the creation of thousands of additional hospital beds, purchase of tens of thousands of ventilators, block purchasing of independent healthcare provider's facilities, mobilisation of the military to support NHS equipment and consumable deliveries, the cessation of all but extremely urgent elective surgery and financial support for those out of work, all at a cost of billions, should serve as writing on the wall, or indeed between the lines, that cannot escape you.
We are not front line, yet, but have enough links with those who currently are to know a bit more than the media spread around.
We have parents either significantly immunocompromised or living in a country where should they get sick, we will not see them before they die.
This week I have had nurses and surgeons in complete breakdown, as they have similarly high risk and highly dependent parents living with them. Can you appreciate the burden of potentially handing a loved one a death sentence?
Yet we return, each day, as do thousands of others, to make sure you and your loved ones will have access to care, not just for COVID related illness, but for urgent trauma too. Yes folks, people still do stupid things and still need treatment, COVID or not.
Tomorrow morning, myself and my teams will go in to work, along with thousands of others and risk our own health, mental and physical, to make sure the NHS continues to be able to look after society.
It isn't just about proximity to others, every surface you touch, if you have this, which doesn't always mean you're symptomatic, transfers risk to others and adds unnecessary pressure on an already stretched system. So too, do activities that increase the likelihood that you may end up in the back of an ambulance.
Have a care for those who will suffer the consequences of your decisions, through no fault of their own, in discharging what they see as their duty to society, in a time of need. And also those who serve behind cash registers, stack you supermarket shelves, take money for your fuel purchase and so on..........
Stay home. Save lives.
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It's not just those in the high at risk category, anyone in any category should take it seriously, this is not a game! We are basically on a war footing, the problem is we can't see the enemy, so the only answer is to avoid contact with anyone or anything outside the home, as they present a risk. Yes it's hard, yes it's inconvenient, and yes it's boring, but if everyone adhered to this mindset it can significantly reduce if not eliminate infection, and the sooner everyone grasps that, the sooner we can all get back to normal.
