Monday 6 April 2020

That Covid Panic


There’s always that moment in these times of the Covid pandemic as a health worker.
 
That dreaded moment when you’re told you might have been exposed to the virus, and you have to go into isolation.
 
You might not be on the frontlines. You might have tried to limit your contact to as few people as you can. You might have been compliant to social distancing measures.
 
But that’s the risk we take.
 
How does it feel?
 
A momentary panic, as you flash back in the past few weeks to all the people you’ve been exposed to - to your colleagues, your patients. To your family; your parents, your siblings, to children. You weigh up your risk of going home - asymptomatic, the length of time you were exposed, and you wonder - is the possible exposure to your loved ones a risk you want to take?
 
The stress of isolation, and the dreaded wait as you wait for your results, because no matter how much you rationalize the risk of being negative, there is always that possibility that lingers at the back of your mind - that what if.
 
That rush of relief as our results come back negative, or the horror when we get a positive result; causing entire departments to shut down. 
 
Some of us in our centre have had those scares, those moments of anxiety and stress until we get the all clear.
 
As this prolongs, more of us will join this circle of uncertainty, as we are quarantined for the safety of our team and the patients we treat.
 
It is not pleasant, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
 
Help us help you.
 

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