As an indirect victim of the COVID-19 virus and due to no fault of my own, I recently spent 13 days in the local hospital. I had an accident that I will go into further detail at another time. I would like to talk about the opening of the country and my experience in the hospital as well as the conversations I had with a few of the medical staff.
I was taken through different hallways and departments on my way to getting X-rays and MRIs — the pathway was filled with extra beds, palettes of supplies, with very little movement or traffic of visitors and patients, that one would normally witness before this pandemic. The overhead announcements were limited to incoming ambulances to the ER, announcing visiting hours opening and closing, and yes, they did allow one designated family member to visit me during my stay.
Everyone on staff at the hospital wore a mask and gloves. They checked the visitor's temperature upon entering and my temp along with my vitals every four hours. I was given a mask to wear when nurses and doctors entered my room as well as trips outside my room for further diagnostic tests and therapies.
The nurses and aides were very friendly and attentive, having conversations with me as I prattled on about something in the news or the reason I ended up in the hospital. They kept my spirits high and positive even though I knew they were overworked and regretting what might come to be an overwhelming situation in the next few weeks. I asked them to give me their opinions on the governor's decision to open the state. Not one person working in the hospital hesitated to talk to me about it.
I chatted with a nurse as we watched the news featuring the crowds at a Florida beach. She is just like the rest of us and is eager to get to some sense of normal. However, she believes it isn't going to be any time soon. She said her children begged her over and over to go to the beach, yearning to enjoy the sand and sea air. Her answer to their pleas was, not this weekend. In two weeks if the curve has not spiked, she promised they will go to the beach.
Another nurse who is engaged to a firefighter had to put their wedding plans on hold, not only because of social distancing but also because her fiance tested positive for the virus. He has come through the virus and has tested negative and is giving his plasma for other victims. She is tested weekly and has had negative test results. We talked about how his job is already stressful and dangerous, and becoming infected by this virus was unexpected and has changed the way they both look at life.
One of the nurses working the night shift told me he was concerned for his mother. She lives in Puerto Rico and even though she survived the hurricane last year, she is now dealing with earthquakes. He wants her to come to stay with him until all is back to some sense of normal, however, there are travel restrictions, and he says the last time he put her on a plane after the hurricane, her flight stopped in three different cities before landing in Orlando. Even though he has a planned vacation for the next ten days he is sheltering at home and getting some much-needed rest.
The physician I spoke to was adamant the virus will spike in the next two weeks.
He does not believe there is any other avenue other than staying home as everyone did in April. We will be back inside by mid-summer and many more innocent people will die because some want to go out to eat or get a haircut. He understands the economy will suffer, however, he is on the front lines of this pandemic and his focus is on not finances.
I am home now and will be social distancing due to my condition, not that this would have changed if I was not incapable of going outside. I have faith that the science and the history of pandemics are enough for me to keep myself safe and secure in my home. I do know this will pass if we let it take its course. Otherwise, it's just like standing on the shore of a Florida beach and screaming at a hurricane in the mid-Atlantic to go away.